Man Charged With Molesting Child In Temecula

MURRIETA, CA — A probationer accused of sexually assaulting a Temecula girl near a park was charged Monday with lewd acts on a child under 14 years old.

Miguel Esteban Cruz, 26, was arrested Thursday following a Riverside County sheriff's investigation.

Along with the lewd acts count, Cruz is charged with resisting arrest and probation violations.

He's being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and is slated to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon at the nearby Southwest Justice Center.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Robert Menchaca, about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, deputies were called to the area of Vail Ranch Park, near Harmony Lane and Vail Ranch Parkway, to investigate reports of a sexual battery.

Menchaca said that the victim, whose identity was not released, alleged she had been assaulted by a man and provided deputies with a detailed description.

During a search of the area, Cruz was physically detained based on the victim's statements. Mechaca said that the convicted felon was positively identified as the alleged perpetrator and transported to jail.

According to court records, Cruz has prior convictions for sodomy of a minor and receiving stolen property.

— By City News Service / Image via Riverside County Sheriff's Department