U.S. pastor charged with lewd act on preteen Chinese girl back in custody

LOS ANGELES, April 19 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. pastor charged with committing a lewd act on a preteen Chinese girl at a hotel is back behind bars, the Los Angeles County District Attorney said Wednesday.

Forty-year-old Douglas Rivera was caught on surveillance video when lurking outside of a hotel room where two young Chinese girls who were visiting the United States on a school trip from China were staying, in the city of Covina, around 30 km east of Los Angeles, on Feb. 7.

According to the Covina Police Department, the pastor then forced his way into the room, assaulted one of the girls and fled the scene.

He faces three charges: committing a lewd act upon a child, first-degree burglary and indecent exposure, the attorney said, adding that the burglary was committed in order to commit lewd conduct or a sexual crime.

While back in custody, his bail was set at 1.16 million U.S. dollars, rising from 100,000 dollars when he was released on bail in February.

While on the run from authorities, Rivera released a video on the online social platform Instagram, claiming his innocence and saying he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This case has garnered attention from local residents and the 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 from the consulate told Xinhua after the incident.

Rivera's next court appearance is set for May 17. Enditem