Banning Teen to be Tried as Adult: Alleged Sex Acts on Two Girl Relatives

A Banning teenager is going to be tried as an adult on suspicion of committing nine felony offenses on two girl relatives under age 14, according to court records and police.

Anthony Soto, 17, is accused of rape, penetration with a foreign object, and lewd and lascivious acts on the two girls between December 2008 and October 2011, according to a complaint filed Jan. 24.

Soto was named in the complaint because he is being charged as an adult.

Soto was arrested last week at his school, Beaumont High, and he was being held in a juvenile lockup with bail set at $1 million, according to Banning police Sgt. Alex Diaz.

The girls told a counselor at their school they had been victimized by Soto, and Banning police learned of the accusations from a school employee about two months ago, Diaz said.

Child Protective Services investigators looked into the initial report, but took no action, Diaz said. The girls' parents said they were not aware of the accusations, and the girls did not have obvious physical injuries, Diaz said.

Banning police submitted their findings to the District Attorney's Office in Riverside. Prosecutors filed charges last week, allowing police to get an arrest warrant for Soto.

Soto is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 6 in Riverside.