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Riverside County Firefighter Charged With Sex Assaults of Three Women as Bail Rises to $7 Million

A victim’s claim that precedes a lawsuit puts Cal Fire’s oversight under scrutiny.

Overview

  • Prosecutors, who filed charges Wednesday, accused David Renteria III of four counts of forcible rape plus eight other sex crimes involving three women.
  • He was arrested, released on bond, then re-arrested at his Placentia home and is now held at the Byrd Detention Center with bail set at $7 million, with his arraignment reset for June.
  • One allegation describes a six-hour assault in a shed behind CAL FIRE Station 96 in Temecula while he was on duty in November 2025.
  • In court, prosecutors said one victim was tied and restrained during an attack and noted the case could fall under California’s One Strike law, which can mean life in prison.
  • A lawyer for one woman filed a government claim that is required before suing the state, alleging Cal Fire’s negligent oversight, and the agency says it has fully cooperated with detectives.