Jury Selection Underway In Lake Elsinore Child Sexual Assault Trial

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Pretrial motions got underway Tuesday ahead of jury selection for a 37-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a Lake Elsinore girl over a nearly six-year span.

Martin Ancamil of Lake Elsinore was arrested in 2023 following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.

Ancamil is charged with four counts of forcible lewd acts on a minor, three counts of sexual penetration by force or fear, two counts of assault with intent to commit mayhem and one count of forced oral copulation of a child.

The defendant's case was transferred Tuesday afternoon to the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, where the prosecution and defense began submitting motions concerning evidence, witnesses, scheduling and jury instructions.

It was unclear whether jury selection would start this week.

The defendant is being held in lieu of $5 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Reese, deputies were alerted in June 2023 to a possible "sexual assault on a minor," prompting an investigation at a residence on Cambern Avenue.

Court records allege a series of assaults occurred, beginning in November 2017 and continuing until June 2023. The victim, identified only by the initials "M.L.," allegedly endured different forms of abuse, from groping to rape, according to court documents.

The circumstances behind the alleged acts and Ancamil's specific connection to the victim were not disclosed. It was further unclear why the alleged offenses weren't reported earlier.

Detectives obtained sufficient evidence to procure a warrant for Ancamil's arrest, and he was taken into custody without incident on July 10, 2023.

He has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.