A Riverside couple has been charged in a significant child sexual abuse case, with the accused, Dawn Renee Johnson, 48, pleading not guilty to multiple felony charges. Arrested last month following an investigation by the Riverside Police Department, Johnson and her husband, Jose Cruz Martinez, 47, are implicated in the abuse of a boy and girl approximately a decade ago.
Johnson faces four counts each of sexual penetration of a child under 10 years old and forcible lewd acts on a child under 14, alongside one count of child cruelty. The charges include sentence-enhancing allegations due to the vulnerability of the victims, breach of trust, and infliction of bodily harm. Martinez faces identical charges, excluding the child cruelty allegation.
The arraignment took place before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, who has scheduled a felony settlement conference for Johnson on March 1 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Johnson is currently held on $2 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, with Martinez held on the same bail amount. Martinez’s arraignment is set for March 28.