A trial date of Jan. 16 has been confirmed for Harry Arlington Durette, a 76-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting three girls in San Jacinto and fleeing to Mexico, where he was apprehended 18 months ago.
Durette is facing 65 felony charges, the majority of which involve forcible lewd acts on a child under 14 years old.
During a status hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso discussed scheduling with the prosecution and defense. Both sides agreed to prepare for trial proceedings in mid-January.
Durette is currently held in the Byrd Detention Center on a $1 million bond.
In March 2022, he was captured in Rosarito, Mexico, following an investigation by the District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Marshals’ Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force.
According to a statement from the D.A.’s office, Investigator Mike Riley obtained leads suggesting that the defendant was hiding in Rosarito. The U.S. Marshals and Mexican authorities coordinated to apprehend him on March 8.
Durette was promptly extradited back to the U.S.
In August 2020, prosecutors initially arrested and charged the septuagenarian following a sheriff’s investigation uncovering multiple alleged acts of molestation involving an underage girl. The victim’s identity has not been disclosed.
The D.A.’s office stated that the defendant posted a $55,000 bond. However, while he was out on bail, investigators obtained additional evidence suggesting that he had also sexually assaulted two other girls, whose identities have not been revealed in court documents.
“Durette failed to appear for his preliminary hearing in October 2021,” according to a statement from the agency. “A bench warrant was issued and held until Nov. 17, 2021, when he once again failed to appear in court. On that date, a judge issued a $1 million warrant.”
It is unclear whether Durette had planned to flee to Rosarito or did so spontaneously after the amended criminal complaint was filed based on the accounts of the two additional victims.
The details of the alleged offenses and the defendant’s relationship to the girls, if any, have not been disclosed.
Durette does not have any prior felony convictions documented in Riverside County.
If convicted, he could receive a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
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