A pastor who served churches in Blythe and Indio has been arrested on multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor, police said. Investigators believe there may be additional victims.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputies arrested Lino Hernandez, 41, of Mesa Verde on Wednesday, Aug. 12, after investigators served a search warrant at his home in the 18-000 block of Cottonwood Drive in Blythe, Sgt. Bryan Berryman said in a press release on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Deputies began investigating an allegation of sexual assault of a minor in June and later identified Hernandez as the suspect. The press release, however, did not identify which churches Hernandez served in Blythe or Indio.
The sheriff’s department did not say whether the alleged abuse had any connection to Hernandez’s work as a pastor.
He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Blythe Jail on “multiple sexual assault charges.” Hernandez remained in custody at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, and was scheduled to appear in court Friday, Aug. 14, at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
The sheriff’s department said the investigation was ongoing.
Jennifer Cortez covers education and breaking news in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pastor at Indio, Blythe churches arrested on child sex assault charge
Reporting by Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun | USA TODAY Network
