Overview

• Morongo Basin detectives arrested Julio Cesar Vega Medina, 52, on Sept. 17 after three children, ages 5 to 14, identified him as their assailant.
• Investigators report several incidents occurred over years at a Yucca Valley home where he took part in private religious gatherings.
• During a search of his residence, deputies found evidence linking him to a 2012 sexual assault in Gardena, which had prompted an active felony warrant under an alias.
• Medina was booked into the Morongo Basin jail and remains in custody, with reports differing on whether bail is set at $3 million or denied; Gardena police placed a hold.
• He has been charged with multiple counts and pleaded not guilty as authorities seek additional victims or witnesses through detectives or the We-Tip hotline.