A felon from Desert Hot Springs accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and using her for child pornography was charged Tuesday with 30 felony counts.
Cody Michael Hansen, 31, was arrested and booked into the Benoit Detention Center in Indio Thursday following an investigation by the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. Hansen is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
The charges against him include rape of a minor, forced oral copulation of a minor, providing controlled substances to a child and inducing a child to engage in sexual conduct for the purpose of producing porn.
The defendant pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Gregory Olson, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for April 21 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
According to court documents, the alleged assaults perpetrated against the girl, identified only as “Jane Doe,” occurred between Jan. 25 and March 22.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Tijerina said the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force began an investigation of Hansen in Cabazon that culminated in findings that he had allegedly been sexually abusing the girl. Information regarding how the victim originally came into contact with Hansen and what ultimately prompted the sex trafficking investigation were not disclosed.
According to court papers, the defendant allegedly checked into multiple hotels and motels with the girl, including the Embassy Suites in Ontario, the Hilton in Palm Springs, the Quality Inn in Banning and the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon.
The complaint alleges Hansen used the victim to “transport, carry, sell, give away, prepare for sale and peddle fentanyl” on nine separate occasions.
Fentanyl is manufactured in foreign labs, and according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s known to be 80-100 times more potent than morphine and is a popular additive, mixed into any number of narcotics and pharmaceuticals. Last year, there were about 500 fentanyl poisonings countywide, according to Sheriff Chad Bianco.
Court records show that the defendant has prior convictions in Riverside and Orange counties, including felony evading, resisting arrest and possession of controlled substances.