A convicted felon who repeatedly sexually assaulted a young family member in Moreno Valley pleaded guilty to rape of a minor and other offenses, prompting a judge to schedule his sentencing for May, according to court records obtained Friday.
Jesus Alfredo Mejia, 38, on Thursday admitted the rape count, along with two counts of aggravated sexual assault on a minor, one count of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and a sentence-enhancing allegation of being under the influence of a controlled substance in the commission of a sexual offense, under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors agreed to drop more than a dozen related charges against Mejia.
Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam set a sentencing hearing for May 19 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. A likely term of imprisonment was not disclosed.
The defendant is being held on $2 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Baeza, in September 2020, detectives were alerted to acts of child molestation involving the defendant at a residence in the 15000 block of Carolina Avenue.
Over a roughly four-week span, they gathered evidence indicating Mejia had been sexually abusing the victim, identified only as a young girl related to him, going back to 2012, according to sheriff’s officials.
He was arrested without incident on Oct. 23, 2020.
Child pornography was found in the defendant’s possession, Baeza said, but it was unclear whether any of the material included photographs or video of the victim.
Court records show Mejia has a prior conviction for obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
Records also indicated that he was charged in 2003 with sexual assault and domestic violence, but the charges were dropped months later without explanation.