A 41-year-old Coachella man was arrested Friday on suspicion of online sexual assault of a minor, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.
Ramiro Favela Benitez was arrested without incident in the 50-000 block of Suncrest St. in Coachella and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, a news release said. He is charged with contacting a minor with the intent to commit specified offenses, transmitting harmful material with the intent to entice a minor and annoying or molesting a child under 18.
Officers with the Thermal Sheriff’s Station Coachella Community Action Team, with assistance from the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, began an investigation on September 17. They had multiple online conversations with Benitez, who believed he was speaking to a 16-year-old girl. However, the girl was actually an online undercover police officer.
The investigation is ongoing. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Thermal Sheriff’s Station at (760) 863-8990.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Undercover operation leads to arrest of Coachella man
