A Coachella woman accused of allowing her husband to repeatedly molest a teenage relative, who ended up giving birth to a child, pleaded not guilty to felony charges.
Aura Rivera Vidal, 32, was arrested Feb. 18 and is charged with one felony count each of willful child cruelty and witness intimidation. According to court papers, both charges involve the same 14-year-old victim.
Vidal remains in custody at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Ternes said the investigation of Vidal was initiated after the arrest of 45-year-old Jesus Lucio Rivera, who is charged with two counts each of aggravated sexual assault of child, forcible rape of a minor and lewd acts on a child under 14 years old.
Court papers allege that between October 2017 and April 2019, Rivera perpetrated the offenses at the family's residence.
Ternes said Rivera came to the attention of detectives in late January based on allegations of repeated molestation of the victim, who is identified in court documents as "Jane Doe." Rivera is not the victim's biological father, according to authorities.
According to Deputy District Attorney Clara Levrault, Rivera is married to Vidal and knowingly let him live at her house, "giving him access" to the victim, the prosecutor said.
Levrault said the teen eventually became pregnant and gave birth to a child, although DNA results have not come back to confirm whether Rivera is the father.
Vidal told the girl to keep the pregnancy quiet or her family would "not love her anymore," Levrault alleged.
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