Cal Fire employee charged with rapes; claim alleges lengthy assault occurred at station - BERITAJA

A man who worked arsenic a firefighter and paramedic astatine a Cal Fire position successful Riverside County has been charged pinch raping 3 women, astatine slightest 1 of them while connected work — and the alleged unfortunate successful that incident says the agency shares work for letting it happen.

The woman, listed arsenic Jane Doe successful a civilian declare revenge this week, said she arrived astatine Station 96 successful Temecula conscionable aft 10 1 evening past November to sojourn a man she’d met online.

According to the woman’s claim, David Renteria, 51, greeted her astatine the entranceway and the 2 walked to a shed astatine the backmost of the property.

The woman’s attorney, David Ring, said his customer had nary logic not to spot Renteria: They were astatine a occurrence position aft all, and location were others conscionable inside.

“It sounds for illustration a beautiful safe business to spell complete location successful the first place,” Ring said. “It turned retired not to be.”

She wouldn’t time off until sunrise the pursuing morning, according to the civilian tort claim, which often precedes a lawsuit.

Over about six hours connected the evening of Nov. 6, the declare alleges, Renteria raped the female repeatedly. At 1 point, according to the claim, he forced her to locomotion naked done the main station, photographed her successful his firefighting cogwheel and told her he would wounded her children if she tried to leave. Other firefighters, the declare alleges, were connected work wrong the building the full clip — apparently oblivious.

“How did this happen?” said Ring. “How could this return spot complete the people of 5 aliases six hours without anyone intervening aliases knowing about it?”

The tort declare alleges the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and authorities officials stock work because they “negligently hired, supervised and retained” Renteria.

Renteria was arrested astatine his Placentia location April 24 pursuing a four-month investigation by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. He is charged pinch 12 felonies, including kidnapping and rape.

He faces a imaginable life sentence, and is being held astatine the Riverside County Southwest Detention Center pinch his bail group astatine much than $7 million. He did not participate a plea astatine a proceeding Wednesday; his lawyer, Jacqueline Goodman, did not respond to a petition for comment.

The Jane Doe civilian declare states that Renteria forced himself connected the alleged unfortunate arsenic soon arsenic they entered a mini activity shed down the Temecula station.

After forcing her to locomotion into the main occurrence position to beryllium photographed, according to the civilian claim, Renteria allegedly took the female backmost to the shed and continued to sexually battle her.

She was not released until the sun began to emergence about 5 a.m., according to the tort claim. Afterward, the declare says, she confided successful a friend, a retired firefighter, who reported the incident to rule enforcement.

Riverside County Deputy Dist. Atty. Sarah Crowley charged successful tribunal this week that Renteria raped astatine slightest 3 different women, including 1 unfortunate he tied and bound. According to the criminal complaint, the first incident occurred sometime successful October and the 3rd took spot connected Nov. 20.

A Cal Fire spokesperson said Renteria was served pinch termination paperwork astatine the Riverside County Jail connected May 4. The personification declined to remark connected the civilian claim.

“CAL FIRE has not seen the suit successful question; however, we would not remark connected pending litigation,” the agency said successful a statement.

Ring said the long of the alleged crime raises questions about the oversight of the station. Fire engines are typically staffed by 3 personnel, who commonly activity 24-hour shifts, and are supervised by a occurrence captain, according to Cal Fire cooperative contracts.

Ring said a civilian suit is expected to beryllium revenge successful early July. His squad plans to attraction heavy connected really Renteria was hired, really he was supervised and whether location were anterior complaints against him.

“He seemed awfully comfortable doing it,” Ring said. “He felt for illustration he wasn’t going to get caught. This didn’t past 5 aliases 10 minutes.”

Riverside County authorities person said they judge location whitethorn beryllium much cases and urged anyone pinch accusation to travel forward.

The lawsuit is not the first clip Cal Fire has faced questions about behaviour astatine its stations and whether guidance grounded to intervene.

In 2014, Battalion Chief Orville “Moe” Fleming, an coach astatine the agency’s Ione training academy, murdered his 26-year-old lover. The consequent California Highway Patrol investigation exposed a civilization of on-duty drinking, intersexual harassment of female cadets and cheating connected promotion exams.

Fleming was sentenced to 16 years to life. Sixteen labor were disciplined. A supervising administrator who had received anonymous warnings about Fleming’s behaviour was not disciplined, but was alternatively promoted to portion main pinch a salary raise. An adjunct main was fired for allowing subordinates to portion connected work and opinionated by while subordinates were sexually harassed.

Four years aft overhauling its master standards programme successful the aftermath of that scandal, the authorities agency terminated 9 firefighters and disciplined 5 others for drinking connected work during a six-week training convention astatine the aforesaid academy.