Local man arrested on child sex charges
An Idyllwild man has been charged with five counts of sexual assault against a female under age 14 that allegedly occurred on or about July 20, 2015.
The Riverside Police Department arrested Ralph Ted Jongewaard, 56, at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, on Village Center Drive. He was booked at 4:12 p.m. that day in the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $75,000 bail where he remains.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s (DA) Office charged him with unlawfully, and lewdly committing “a lewd and lascivious act upon and with the body and certain parts and members thereof of Jane Doe … a child under the age of 14 years by use of force, violence, duress, menace, and fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, and gratifying the lust, passions, and sexual desires of the said defendant(s) and the said child.”
If he is found guilty, each charge could bring a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years in prison.
The DA’s office add two enhancements of Jane Doe being particularly vulnerable and the defendant took advantage of a position of trust and confidence to commit the crime.
The DA’s office wrote in its filing, “These incidents include the prior incident(s) described in the police report, chronological report, and/or tapes already provided,and other alleged incidents of abuse, which will be provided as they are obtained by the prosecution.”
The first court date is a felony settlement conference Thursday, Oct. 5. This is where the attorneys exchange information about the case and try to negotiate a disposition. If they can’t resolve the case, a preliminary hearing date is set.
