40-year-old California pastor who ‘broke into a hotel room and sexually assaulted a girl, 13,’ turns himself in after two days on the run; Douglas Rivera’s alibi – ‘I was in the wrong place at the wrong time’
Alleged pastor by day, child molesting burglar by night, Douglas Rivera’s alibi is – ‘I was in the wrong place at the wrong time’
‘Year Right!’
Pastor who ‘broke into a hotel room and sexually assaulted a girl, 13,’ turns himself in after two days on the run – but he claims he was ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’
Pastor Douglas Rivera was accused last week of assaulting a teen visiting U.S. at the Vanllee Hotel and Suites, in Covina East of Lod Angeles Wednesday night.
Police say Rivera, 40, masturbated to the sight of two girls, 10 and 13, on a school trip from China, as he spied on them through a hotel window while pretending to be on the phone
Suspect went inside hotel, knocked on the girls’ door, forced his way inside and sexually assaulted the 13-year-old
Rivera, the pastor at God’s Gypsy Christian Church in Glendale, california said in an Instagram video he was innocent, simply ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’
He surrendered to police on Sunday and was booked on counts of child molestation, indecent exposure and burglary
Rivera is free after posting $280,000 bail
Police in Covina, California, released these screenshots on Friday in the hope of finding the man who they said sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl on a school trip from China, after spying on her through a hotel window
Douglas Rivera, 40, was accompanied by his attorney when he turned himself in on Sunday at the Covina Police Department, California.
Police in Covina, a city east of Los Angeles, had released screenshots of the suspected rapist on Friday in the hope of finding the man who they said sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl after spying on her through a hotel window
Investigators say the pastor at God’s Gypsy Christian Church in Glendale is suspected of spying on two girls through their window on Wednesday night, masturbating in his pickup truck and then breaking into their room to assault one of them.
Alleged pastor by day, child molesting burglar by night: Douglas Rivera, a California pastor, was booked on Sunday on counts of child molestation, indecent exposure and burglary
Rivera Turned himself in on Sunday, after proclaiming his innocence in an Instagram video, claiming that he was ‘at the wrong place at the wrong time
Authorities later located and towed the Dodge Ram 4500 truck, which had been re-painted black.
Before turning himself in, Rivera proclaimed his innocence in an Instagram video, claiming that he was ‘at the wrong place at the wrong time.’
Addressing the allegations against him on Friday night, Rivera said ‘there is absolutely no truth to that’ and asked the people of Los Angeles to keep him in their prayers.
‘God will take his truth out. I love you,’ Rivera said.
The cleric was booked on charges of child molestation, indecent exposure and burglary at around 11am on Sunday, and was released three hours later after posting $280,000 bail, reported CBS Los Angeles.
God’s Gypsy Christian Church has been renting space from Glendale City Church of Seventh-day Adventists, where Senior Pastor Todd Leonard released a statement on Sunday saying Rivera has been barred from entering the campus.
Three hours later, the accused pastor was set free three hours later, after posting $280,000 bail
The victim was staying at Vanllee Hotel and Suites in Covina while on a school trip from China. On Friday, the The Covina Police Department released screenshots from surveillance footage showing the suspect, later identified as Douglas Rivera, lurking outside the Vanllee Hotel after hours on Wednesday.
According to a news release, the incident took place just after 8 pm at the hotel on East Garvey Avenue North.
Investigators say the suspect drove through the hotel parking lot until he noticed a lit room with drapes open.
He parked his dark-colored Dodge 4500 Ram pickup truck directly in front of the window of the hotel room, which was occupied by two girls, ages 10 and 13, who were on a school trip from China.
Rivera, 40, was accused last week of assaulting a girl visiting from China at the Vanllee Hotel and Suites, located at 1211 E. Garvey Ave. North, Wednesday night. Rivera’s alleged getaway vehicle: His dark-colored Dodge 4500 Ram pickup truck was caught on CCTV screenshot leaving the crime scene
Rivera, the pastor of God’s Gypsy Christian Church in Glendale, California had been on the run since Friday. Later in the day, he posted a video to social media claiming his innocence. Police sources said Rivera drove through the parking lot of the Vanllee Hotel late Wednesday, stopping to peer into a room where two girls were staying during a school trip from China.
The suspect allegedly masturbated outside the victim’s room, while pretending to be on the phone for about 30 minutes. He then entered the hotel and knocked on the girls’ door. Thinking he was their chaperone, the girls opened the door. Rivera reportedly, entered the room and sexually assaulting one of the girls.
After images from the hotel’s security footage were made public, Rivera was identified as a person of interest in the case.
Crime Scene: Vanllee Hotel and Suites in Covina
Police raided his Baldwin Hills home Friday, towing a truck similar to the one seen in the security video. A neighbor had observed Rivera painting that truck black with a roller and paint brush Thursday.
Late Friday, Rivera, whose congregation shares a building with Glendale City Church, posted a video to Instagram from inside a vehicle in which he said he “was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
He went on to say the accusations against him were false, asking people to keep him “in prayer.” He also said he planned to turn himself in to police Wednesday accompanied by his attorney.
However his neighbor Paulette Molina, was unequivocal in identifying the suspect: “That video surveillance is totally him,” said Molina, after seeing the footage.
She witnessed Rivera painting his truck black with rollers and paintbrushes Thursday. “It was kind of odd,” Molina said.
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