KTLA

Former counselor at Riverside County school arrested on suspicion of sexual assault

Ruben Rico Franco is seen in a photo released by the Banning Police Department on Jan. 2, 2023.

A man who worked as a counselor at a Banning school has been arrested nearly two years after a victim came forward with sexual assault allegations against him, police said Monday.

Back in February 2021, the victim came forward with allegations against Ruben Rico Franco. The unidentified victim said they had been sexually assaulted by Franco from the ages of 10 to 14 when the suspect was a counselor at their school, according to the Banning Police Department.


Detectives began investigating Franco and eventually obtained enough evidence to arrest him.

Franco, 62, was found in San Diego and was arrested without incident on Dec. 1.

He was booked on suspicion of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, oral copulation or sexual intercourse with a child under 10, lewd act with a child under 14 using force and sexual penetration with bodily injury on a child under 14.

He is being held on $2 million, police said.

No further details about the allegations have been released.