A preliminary hearing is scheduled Tuesday for a former church youth counselor from Riverside accused of sexually assaulting a young girl multiple times over a five-year span.
Jaime Alejandre Gonzalez, 65, of Riverside was arrested in July following an investigation by the Riverside Police Department’s Sexual Assault – Child Abuse (SACA) Unit.
Gonzalez, who is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, is charged with five counts of forcible lewd acts on a child under 14 years old.
The preliminary hearing set for Tuesday morning at the Riverside Hall of Justice will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.
According to police, Gonzalez worked as a youth counselor for Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine on Ninth Street, and between 2010 and 2015, he was in contact with the victim, whose identity was not disclosed.
Investigators allege the defendant transported the girl between the Catholic church and other locations as part of his job, and while he had her next to him in his car, he allegedly assaulted her, though specific details were not provided.
Last summer, the victim, now in her late teens, revealed what had allegedly transpired during that time, culminating in the SACA investigation, which led to the criminal complaint against Gonzalez.
According to court records, he has a misdemeanor driving under the influence conviction from 2015, but no prior documented felony convictions.