A Calimesa man accused of engaging in sex acts with a 15-year-old girl pleaded not guilty Thursday to statutory rape and other charges.
Joshua Blake Simmering, 21, was arrested in March following a Riverside County sheriff’s investigation in San Jacinto and is free on a $10,000 bond.
Along with two counts of sex with a minor, Simmering is charged with three counts of oral copulation of a child and one count each of sodomy with a person under 18 years old and possession of child pornography.
He was arraigned before Superior Court Judge Mark Johnson, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Nov. 8 at the Banning Justice Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Duckett, a deputy patrolling the area of Esplanade and Palm avenues in the predawn hours of March 26 spotted a suspicious vehicle parked behind a business and went to investigate.
Duckett alleged that the patrolman encountered Simmering and the victim, identified only as a San Jacinto girl, in the car, having sex.
When the deputy learned the girl’s age, the defendant was arrested on the spot.
“Further investigation revealed Simmering gained the juvenile’s confidence over the Internet and had been engaging in a sexual relationship with her,” Duckett alleged.
The number of times Simmering allegedly met with the teen was not specified.
Investigators initially believed other girls may have been targeted, but none were found.
Simmering has no documented prior felony convictions.
