RIVERSIDE: Mother turns in adult son who admitted to molesting 50 children

RIVERSIDE — Police have arrested a teen who was turned in by his own mother after the man admitted to her that he molested two young children at a Riverside hotel the previous evening. The man later confessed to molesting as many as 50 children over the last eight years while living in different cities throughout Southern California.

Officials believe the alleged suspect, Joseph Hayden Boston, has victimized other children who have not yet been identified or come forward.

According to officials, Boston just recently moved from the city of Lakewood to the Riverside area and has only lived there since November.

The investigation began about 3 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, when a woman flagged down a Riverside PD Sergeant at the Magnolia Avenue Police Station.

The woman, Boston’s mother, wanted to turn her son in to police after he reportedly admitted to her that he had molested two boys, ages 4 and 8, the previous evening.

After her son’s admission, the mother immediately drove to the Simply Home Inn & Suites, in the 9800 block of Magnolia Avenue in Riverside, where he had been staying and picked him up before driving him to the police station.

Detectives from the department’s Sexual Assault & Child Abuse Unit were called in to assist and assumed the investigation.

Once at the police station Boston admitted to detectives that while staying at the hotel he had befriended the two young boys who were also staying at the same hotel with their parents.

The previous evening, the children’s parents allowed the two boys to spend the night in Boston’s hotel room, at which time he molested both victims.

Officials did not specify if last evening’s incidents were the first time Boston had molested the pair or if the prior night was the first time the boys had been allowed to be alone with Boston.

Boston called his mother several hours later and confessed to sexually assaulting the two juveniles.

While being interviewed by detectives, Boston also admitted to molesting “upwards of 50 children since he was 10-years-old,” officials explained in a social media release detailing the investigation and subsequent arrest.

The admitted molestation’s allegedly occurred in different cities where Boston had lived; including Lakewood in Los Angeles County and Buena Park in Orange County.

Based on his admissions and their initial investigation, detectives arrested Boston and he was later booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of two counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10. Additional charges could be added later.

As part of their investigation, Riverside County Child Protective Services responded and interviewed the two boys. They later took custody of both children.

An online jail records search revealed Boston remains in custody and his bail has been set at $1 million. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall Of Justice, Dec. 6.

Officials have asked that anyone with information about this investigation or the suspect’s activities, or who believes their children may have been victimized to contact Riverside Police Detective Paul Miranda at (951) 353-7945 or by email. Callers can refer to incident file number P17-216838 and can remain anonymous.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.