UPDATED: Man accused of groping girl at Menifee park released, spotted at 2 Hemet parks

UPDATED: Sunday, Apr.. 29, 1 A.M., With video of apprehension

UPDATED: Friday, Apr. 27, 7:30 p.m., With additional information and interviews

UPDATED: Friday, Apr. 27, 4 a.m., With information regarding suspect’s release

SEE ORIGINAL STORY BELOW

MENIFEE —  A Menifee man, accused of sexually assaulting a young girl during her brother’s baseball practice at Menifee’s La Ladera Park has been released after posting $55,000 bail. The alleged suspect was apprehended and arrested after parents and coaches chased him to a nearby street where he reportedly resides at a “half-way house.” The street where the man was caught sits less than 200 feet from the park.

The man, identified as 21-year-old, Roland George Riddell, was booked into jail Tuesday, Apr. 24, after other adults – primarily parents and coaches – learned of the incident and chased the alleged suspect, apprehending him in the front yard of a home on the street.

Video of Riddell’s apprehension and arrest – which was posted to social media but has since been removed – showed at least one of the suspect’s pursuers armed with an aluminum baseball bat. (UPDATED: See ABC7 News video of a portion of Riddell’s apprehension below.)

One witness who helped chase down and apprehend Riddell later explained that despite the nature of the alleged incident, the accused suspect was uninjured in the capture and the bat was merely a “visual tool” meant to keep the man at the scene until deputies arrived about 10 minutes later.

Menifee resident Jason De Bie, who was one of many who shared video of Riddell’s apprehension on social media, later told Menifee 24/7 he was coaching his son’s baseball team at the park when he first became aware of the sexual battery at the playground adjacent to the park’s baseball field.

“My daughter went up to the mom of the girl who was fondled and said, ‘That guy is trying to touch her,'” De Bie told Menifee 24/7.

According to De Bie, while his wife and other parents called 911 to report the incident, Riddell must have realized what was happening because he “started to walk away from the park.”

Despite the fact that Riddell was already leaving, “the (victim’s) dad went after him,” De Bie continued; saying he and other parents and coaches quickly joined the foot chase as Riddell ran toward nearby Cold Meadow Drive, just one residential block – 187 feet – to the east of La Ladera Road and the park where the reported incident happened.

“A few of us chased him down and tackled him to the ground,” De Bie explained.

As word of the incident and arrest burned across social media like a digital wild-fire, Menifee City Council member and chairman of the City’s Public Safety Committee, Matt Liesemeyer weighed in with his concerns regarding the incident, telling Menifee 24/7, “I’m deeply sorry that this took place in our city.”

“As a parent of a young girl myself, I have to commend the men in this situation for the restraint they showed,” Liesemeyer continued; admitting, “I’m not so sure most men would have thought twice about street justice in this situation.”

“Unfortunately, however, this is indicative of a much larger problem that extends beyond our great city,” said Liesemeyer – who happens to be a strong proponent for City of Menifee discontinuing its contract for law enforcement services from the Sheriff’s Department and creating its own police department.

“There are details and questions that I am still seeking answers to,” said Liesemeyer. “All I know is that our current state of affairs with respects to public safety and how we handle policing MUST change.”

Answering questions and concerns about the delayed response, Riverside Sheriff’s Captain Greg Fellows – police chief for the City of Perris, where the Menifee Patrol Station is based out of – explained to Menifee 24/7 that the way the call was originally received, as a possible “attempted sexual battery,” may have inadvertently led to the delayed response.

Fellows explained that based on the first 911 call(s) and incident information provided to Riverside County emergency dispatchers by 911 callers, the incident was prioritized and dispatched as a “Priority 2” call – the highest priority of calls in which there is no immediate danger of immediate loss of life.

Like many law enforcement agencies, Riverside County emergency dispatchers use a prioritizing system to determine which calls deputies and other County emergency services, such as Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department should respond to first. As explained on Riverside County Sheriff’s website, deputies responses are based on various aspects of the incident, such as the type of emergency being reported, if it is still actively occurring, if the alleged suspect(s) are still at the location, and if any citizens are in imminent danger.

Based on those questions and responses, dispatchers initially prioritized Tuesday’s night’s incident as a Priority 2 call and deputies began a “routine response” to the area; driving at posted speeds, while obeying all signals, signs and traffic laws. Six minutes later, upon learning that parents and coaches had chased and were actively detaining the suspect, dispatchers updated deputies – who adjusted their response accordingly – arriving with lights flashing and sirens wailing just four minutes later.

“Please note that it takes time to traverse through the city, especially during peak traffic periods,” Fellows told Menifee 24/7. “In addition, our average response time to Priority 2 calls in 2017 was 19 minutes. For Priority 1 calls, the average response time was a little over 8 minutes.”

“Unlike a Priority 1 call, which involves the potential for an immediate loss of life, Priority 2 calls are serious/urgent situations requiring law enforcement help as well as crimes in progress where a suspect is present. Examples are the call we are discussing, a fight in progress, major family disturbances, and many more,” Fellows continued. “All calls are different, so Dispatch evaluates the information they receive to prioritize it appropriately.”

“The call for service was dispatched with the appropriate priority,” Fellows explained. “Comparatively speaking, the response time was very good.”

Despite Fellows’ explanation and reassurances, several days after the incident and arrest some area residents were still voicing anger and concern over the investigation and arrest, which was only exacerbated when word of Riddell’s swift release from custody spread through town.

The very evening of his release, Riddell was reportedly spotted in several areas of neighboring Hemet. At least three area residents, having read about Ridell’s arrest and subsequent release, reported seeing the man riding a bus through town. He was also spotted wandering around Hemet’s Gibbel and nearby Mary Henley Parks, as well as loitering and asking for money in front of a Subway restaurant located between the two parks on Kirby Avenue.

San Jacinto resident Jim Hansen later told RCNS he was just one of several adults at Hemet’s Mary Henley Park who spotted a “man who looked just like” Riddell. The parents first noticed the man wandering around and then sitting on a bench near the main children’s playground area along the northeast corner of the 16 acre park.

“When me and my buddy Joe spotted ‘that f—–g perv’ sitting near the kids’ playground and watching them playing, we got up and started walking in his direction,” Hansen explained. “But as soon as he spotted us walking in his direction, the ‘f—–g coward’ got up and walked out of the park fast, heading north on Kirby.”

“It was a good thing too, because I honestly don’t know what we were planning or might have done, other than confront him and tell him to ‘get his sick-ass the f— out of here’,” said Hansen.

“I know people have said he ‘was off’ or ‘not quite right in the head,’ but I honestly don’t give a f—, and I sure as hell don’t think we could’ve been as nice (or) understanding as the other parents (in Menifee),” Hansen explained.

“You mess with our kids here and you’d better realize you’re not in Kansas anymore, cupcake,” Hansen angrily continued. “We’re fed up with the low-life scumf—k’s who think they can run our town. We’re not taking it anymore and we’re fighting back.”

“You mess with OUR kids, you’re probably gonna end up dead,” surmised Hansen. “It’s just that simple.”

Online Jail records revealed Riddell was released Apr. 26, two days after his arrest. He is scheduled to be arraigned at Murrieta’s Southwest Justice Center, June 22.

ABC7 News video excerpt showed part of Riddell’s apprehension.

 

ORIGINAL STORY: MENIFEE: Angry parents, coaches chase and apprehended man who allegedly groped young girl 

MENIFEE — Furious and protective parents, coaches and good Samaritans are being credited with chasing down and apprehending a suspected child molester after the man allegedly sexually assaulted a young girl at Menifee’s La Ladera Park, Tuesday evening, Apr. 24.

Despite the nature of the call and the fact that men – at least one of whom was armed with a baseball bat – were last seen chasing the man away from the park, many witnesses and parents who frantically called 911 to report the incident, as well as community leaders, have since complained about the department’s response time to the incident, questioning why it took sheriff’s deputies about 10 minutes to arrive at the scene. Parents were even more incensed when they later heard the alleged suspect was originally only booked into jail on a sole misdemeanor charge.

After an investigation involving multiple witness, victim, and suspect interviews, sheriff’s officials arrested 21-year-old, Roland George Riddell. He was initially booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of annoying or molesting a child, a misdemeanor.

Although his bail was initially set at $5,000 based on the sole charge, Riddell’s bail was later increased to $55,000 after sheriff’s officials added a felony charge the day after Riddell’s arrest.

After additional interviews the day of and morning after Riddell’s arrest, officials added the felony charge of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14-years-old. Jail records indicate he remains in custody and is scheduled to be arraigned at Murrieta’s Southwest Justice Center, Apr. 27.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Menifee Police Station were dispatched to the park about 6:30 p.m., “after park patrons reported an adult male had attempted to sexually assault a young girl,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Curt Harris explained the day after Riddell’s arrest.

About six minutes later, “while officers were enroute to the call, they learned a sexual assault did, in fact, occur,” said Harris. Based on the updated circumstances of the call, deputies expedited their response, arriving just minutes later.

When deputies arrived at the location they learned several parents who witnessed the incident chased Riddell from the park, apprehending him on Cool Meadow Drive, one short block to the east of La Ladera Road and the park.

The incident began in the park’s playground area when one of the parent’s 10-year-old daughters saw Riddell, “patting or touching” the young victim on the buttocks while making “inappropriate comments and asking her questions.

Upon hearing of the alleged incident, several parents and coaches immediately sprung to action, expecting to confront Riddell, who was already fleeing from the park – and the angry adults, on foot.

Riddell was eventually apprehended in the front yard of a home on Cool Meadow, either in front of or near a home where the man reportedly resides at a “half-way house.” The dirty and shirtless man was wearing stained, white pants and had no shoes or socks when he was caught.

Video of the dramatic apprehension filmed by one of the men who chased Riddell down, which was posted to social media but has since been removed, initially showed Riddell on the ground surrounded by several men. The video shows at least one of the men is armed with an aluminum baseball bat.

Other than when Riddell was first apprehended and pushed to the ground, at no point during the video can the man’s pursuers be seen using the baseball bat or violence of any other kind. The men, while clearly angry, showed a tremendous amount of restraint and at one point even compassion when the man’s responses indicated he may not have fully understood the situation he was in.

In the video, Riddell’s eyes were darting back and forth between his captors, looking for any possible way out. One of the good Samaritans can be heard warning the man, “You’d better just stop man…just stay down!”

Riddell eventually did stand back up and began pacing back and forth like a trapped animal, before eventually accepting his fate and kneeling back down. The good Samaritans then began trying to question the alleged suspect about the incident while waiting for officials to arrive.

“So the little girl, you wanted to touch her?” one of the men is heard asking Riddell on the video.

“No,” the alleged suspect responded, adding,”I just told her to let me see.” To which several of the men angrily respond, “Let you see, WHAT?”

Riddell can be heard responding, but his response was unintelligible. However, he is heard claiming he never actually touched the little girl.

Once deputies arrived they took Riddell into custody and interviewed him at a separate location. “As a result of that interview, combined with the witnesses’ statements,” Riddell was arrested, according to Harris.

The following morning, Menifee investigators re-interviewed Riddell at the jail. “As a result of that second interview, and due to the victim’s age, Riddell was also charged with felony child molestation,” said Harris.

Since the traumatic and harrowing incident, several parents and witnesses including at least who referred to Riddell as a “neighborhood nuisance” have spoken out, with some sharing stories and videos on social media about the arrest as well as prior incidents involving Riddell and area children.

Menifee resident, Jennifer O’Neal was at the park Tuesday night watching one of her two sons’ baseball practices when the harrowing incident began.

According to O’Neal, she was one of several parents and witnesses who called 911 to report the molestation and that the man fled from the park with parents and coaches in hot pursuit. “Everyone involved was so calm and very well-managed during this whole situation,” she explained.

“It’s a good thing I stayed with the kiddos,” O’Neal later explained. “I don’t care if (he was) male or female, I would of slugged (his) ass. I wouldn’t have given (him) a chance.”

O’Neal, who was watching the practice, recalled Riddell sitting behind her for a short time before he wandered off while. She later warned others, “Parents, be aware, be cautious and always know who is next to (you) and (your) children if (you) ever need to describe them!!”

Another area resident who requested to not be identified, later described Riddell as a “sexual predator,” and said the man once showed her young, pre-teen son sexually explicit “pornographic images.” It was not immediately known if that alleged incident was reported to law enforcement officials.

Trasier Shuyler, who was one of the men who chased and apprehended Riddell, filmed and later posted the now-removed video he shot that showed the capture and subsequent arrest.

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Officer Josh Cail at the Menifee Police Department by calling (951) 210-1000, or by email. Callers can refer to incident file number ME181140191 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit an anonymous tip using the Shieriff’s CrimeTips online form.

Jennifer O’Neal Facebook post.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and 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.