Man Pleads Not Guilty to Molesting Family Member

A 46-year-old man accused of molesting a 12-year-old family member in 2008 in Murrieta pleaded not guilty today.

Rudolph James Miller, now of Hemet, faces a charge of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 14, according to court documents. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to eight years in prison.

The incidents came to the attention of the Murrieta Police Department in June 2011, according to a statement filed by police. The victim, now 15, told her two sisters of the alleged acts. The mother then became aware and reported it to police.

A warrant for Miller's arrest was issued in July 2011. He was arrested and jailed Jan. 10, then released the next day on $50,000 bail, according to sheriff's jail records. He remains free on his own recognizance.

During the alleged incidents, Miller is accused of asking the then 12-year-old girl to massage his thighs, then his private parts through his pants, according to a police statement filed with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. During one of the encounters, he allegedly pulled his penis out and ejaculated.

Because the alleged acts occurred in Murrieta, DA Spokesperson John Hall said the case was investigated by Murrieta police.

In a voluntary interview, Miller told police detectives that he was under the influence of prescription pain medications at the time of the incidents because he was recovering from two shoulder surgeries.

He told detectives he had no memory of the alleged acts, but that if the victim said it happened, it did. She is an "honest kid," he told detectives. He told them he had begun to worry that he may have done something like she said.

Murrieta police and Child Protective Services interviewed the victim and corroborated her account, according to the police statement.