Hemet Man Arrested In Family Sex Abuse Case

HEMET (CBS) — A Riverside County man accused of asking young women to strip for alleged religious ceremonies was under arrest Thursday.

Efrain Bernal, 41, of Hemet, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of lewd acts on a minor, forced oral copulation of a child, and continuous sexual abuse of a minor, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

"Deputies responded to Bernal's home in the 42000 block of Acacia Avenue after receiving a report that he had asked the women to take off their clothes as part of a religious ceremony," authorities said in a statement. The ceremonies allegedly involved sexually oriented photos of teenage victims. No additional details regarding the ceremonies were released.

Officials said some of Bernal's victims who participated in the alleged religious ceremonies were under the age of 18.

After arriving, deputies learned a family member had reportedly been abused by Bernal since she was a child, the department said. According to officials, the abuse lasted for at least a decade.

Bernal is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.

The investigation is ongoing, anyone with information should call the Riverside County Sheriff's Department at (951) 791-3400.