A suspect is slated for a court hearing next week on charges related to watching illegal child pornography on a smart phone in front of workers at a business.
Vicente Celio, 52, of the desert city of Rancho Mirage east of Palm Springs, was arrested Sept. 19 and charged later with nine felony counts related to the sale and possession of child pornography, Cathedral City police said.
He is scheduled for court Tuesday after being released this past Saturday on $35,000 bail, according to jail records.
According to Cathedral City police Cmdr. Julio Luna, an employee at a Cathedral City business phoned police at about 7 p.m. Sept. 19 and said they saw child pornography on a customer’s phone.
Officers responded and confirmed that the images “were in fact child pornography,” Luna said.
Celio allegedly admitted to owning the phone and “being aware of the images,” before being arrested.
Celio pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment last Friday and is next due in court Tuesday for a felony settlement conference.
He has no prior felony convictions in Riverside County, according to court records.
— Staff and wire reports