A week from Thursday, a Lake Elsinore Unified School District janitor accused of molesting a child and possessing child pornography will ask a judge to consider reducing his $500,000 bail so he can get out of jail.
David Robledo Jr., 36, of Homeland was arrested last week following an investigation by the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team, or RCCET.
Robledo pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday to two counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old, as well as one count each of possession of child porn and destroying or concealing evidence.
At the request of the defense, Superior Court Judge Judith Clark set a bail review hearing for April 3 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta. Robledo’s public defender is expected to submit a motion seeking a bail reduction based on the defendant’s lack of prior criminal history.
He is being held at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, in December, RCCET investigators were alerted via an online tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that a person residing in the county was loading explicit sexual images of minors into a Cloud-based storage platform.
The ensuing probe resulted in the identification of Robledo as the alleged account user, prosecutors said. Warrants were obtained and served at his property on Collin Drive in Homeland, where alleged evidence was seized and the defendant was taken into custody without incident on March 20.
The child allegedly molested by Robledo was not identified, and the circumstances were not disclosed. The alleged acts occurred in 2018, according to court documents.
It was unclear whether the victim was depicted in the images allegedly retained by the defendant.
“We recognize that this news is deeply concerning for our staff, families and the entire district community,” according to a school district statement. “We remain committed to the safety and well-being of every student and staff member. We also appreciate the continued partnership of our local law enforcement agencies in maintaining safe and supportive school environments.”
Officials said that “disciplinary protocols” were implemented upon confirmation of the defendant’s arrest, but no other details were divulged. The district declined to identify the campuses where Robledo worked.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. However, investigators are concerned he may have allegedly targeted other children. Anyone with information relevant to the investigation was asked to contact RCCET at 760-863-8168.
The task force is comprised of prosecutors, sheriff’s personnel, officers from multiple municipal police agencies, along with staff from the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation and U.S. Marshals.