MURRIETA (CNS) - A 52-year-old man who molested two Lake Elsinore girls pleaded guilty Friday to eight counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old.
Victor Saragosa Morones of Temecula admitted the felony charges, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of targeting multiple victims in a sex crime, under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors agreed to drop eight related offenses against Morones.
Superior Court Judge F. Paul Dickerson scheduled a sentencing hearing for Sept. 15 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta and ordered that the defendant remain held without bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Reese, deputies initiated an investigation last November after receiving information that Morones had engaged in illicit acts involving one of the girls, identified in court documents only as "A.A."
Court papers indicated that in the ensuing investigation, another girl, "E.M.," was also identified as a victim.
The assaults occurred between January 2019 and December 2021, according to the criminal complaint.
Sufficient evidence was ultimately gathered to obtain an arrest warrant, and Morones was taken into custody without incident in the 28000 block of Old Town Front Street in Temecula on the morning of Feb. 9.
The circumstances behind the assaults, including Morones' relationship, if any, to the children were not disclosed.
He has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.
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