A Riverside couple was taken into custody over allegations of sexual abuse of their teenage kids. The father and stepmother of two teenage siblings allegedly sexually abused them for several years, officials noted on Wednesday.
The case came to notice when Detectives from the Riverside Police Department's Sexual Assault, 'Child Abuse Unit' began a probe into alleged ongoing sexual abuse of a teenage daughter by her father. The department noted in a news release that during the course of the investigation, detectives learned that the victim's teen brother was allegedly being sexually abused by their stepmother.
Police have reason to believe that the abuse took place over several years. The victims' father, Joshua Hawkins, 34, was arrested in November last year. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of multiple counts of lewd acts with a child under 14 with force, continuous sexual abuse of a child, child cruelty, and acting in concert, aiding or abetting in the sexual assault with a victim under 14.
Sexual abuse at the hands of father and stepmother
As the investigation continued, the victims' stepmother, Sabrina Hawkins, 30, was also arrested on February 3, 2022. She was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault and lewd acts on a minor, child cruelty, continuous sexual abuse of a child, and acting in concert, aiding or abetting in the sexual assault with a victim under 14.
$2 million bail
The Riverside, Orangecrest neighborhood resident couple is being held at $2 million bail. The identities of the victims were not released. Officials noted that the kids were put in the care of their families.
The accused couple was actively involved in community and school activities in and around the Orangecrest neighborhood. Cops have urged anyone with any information relevant to the case to contact Detective Stacie Ontko at 951-353-7121 or SOntko@RiversideCA.gov.
