Pastor accused of assaulting minor in Covina says he was in 'wrong place at wrong time'

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Pastor accused of Covina child sex assault shares his side of story
A Glendale pastor suspected of sexually assaulting a minor at a Covina hotel released a video to ABC7 Friday night where he shared his side of the story.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Glendale pastor suspected of sexually assaulting a minor at a Covina hotel released a video to ABC7 Friday night where he shared his side of the story.

In what appears to be a cellphone video, Douglas Rivera, 40, of Baldwin Park, said he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I did not do nothing wrong. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Something happened in that hotel, and that's the simple answer," he said in the video.

Rivera is accused of parking his truck to face a hotel room where two minors were inside. Authorities said Rivera then masturbated while watching the young kids.

After that, he got out of the vehicle and stood outside the room window, pretending to be on his phone for more than 30 minutes, authorities said.

Rivera is said to have then forced his way into the room when the minors thought it was their chaperone at the door. Once inside, Rivera then assaulted one of the minors and fled in his truck, authorities said. They said the incident is an oral copulation investigation.

In the cellphone video, Rivera said he had spoken with a lawyer and will be turning himself into authorities on Wednesday.

"There is absolutely no truth to that - no matter what you see on the Instagram or the TV - there is no truth to it. I love you Los Angeles, please keep me in prayer. God will take his truth out. I love you," Rivera said.

Rivera is pastor of God's Gypsy Christian Church in Glendale, where he rents out space from another church to hold services.