A man at a park in Menifee was arrested for allegedly molesting a little girl after parents chased him and forced him to stay at the location until the authorities arrived.
On Tuesday afternoon several people were enjoying La Ladera Park, many of which were parents with their children and others were there for a Pony League baseball practice.
Around 6:30 p.m. while a 9-year-old girl and her friend were playing together, a man allegedly approached the young girl and tried to encourage her to perform sexually inappropriate actions such as asking her to do the splits on top of him. A bystander also stated that the man had grabbed the girl’s buttocks.
The girl and her friend then ran away to tell adults what had taken place, and a group of parents who reportedly saw the event happen noticed that the man was trying to run from the scene. A few of the nearby dads, including the alleged victim’s father, chased after and prevented the suspect from departing until Menifee police reached the destination. One of the parents used his cell phone and caught the men on video as they performed the citizen’s arrest.
Officers took statements from witnesses about what they had seen and then apprehended the man, who was identified as 21-year-old Roland George Riddell.
Riddell was interviewed by the authorities and he was placed under arrest. He was booked at the Cois Byrd Detention Center and charged with a misdemeanor for annoying and molesting a child.
Charges of felony molestation were added on Wednesday after Riddell underwent another interview by Menifee Police investigators, and after factoring in the girl’s young age and the statements given by the witnesses.
Riddell remains in custody on a $55,000 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of child molestation, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.