U.S. pastor accused of sex assault on minor turns himself in

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. pastor wanted by police for sexually assaulting a preteen girl from China in the city of Covina, 30 km east of Los Angeles, turned himself in to the authorities on Sunday.

Douglas Rivera, 40, surrendered to the Covina Police Department in the morning with his attorney and was later released on a 100,000-dollar bail.

When he walked out of the Covina jail, he refused to answer any question. He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

He was booked at the Covina jail as detectives waited to interview him, a police spokesman later said, adding that the suspect refused the request for interviews based on advice of his attorney.

According to a press release and surveillance footage from the Covina Police Department, Rivera lurked outside a hotel room where two preteen girls visiting from China lived and assaulted one of them before fleeing the scene.

However, in a video posted on Instagram that appeared to have been recorded inside a vehicle, Rivera tried to vindicate himself, saying the accusations against him were a misunderstanding.

This case has raised attention from local residents and Consulate General of China in Los Angeles.

"We contacted the local police department as soon as we received the news. We have got some information about the case and urged police to arrest the criminal as soon as possible," an official of the consulate told Xinhua Saturday night. Enditem