Riverside guitar instructor arrested for lewd acts on child

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- A Riverside guitar instructor, whose students included children, was arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd act on a child.

On July 6, Riverside detectives with the sexual assault and child abuse unit began investigating a possible child annoyance incident that reportedly occurred in the Orangecrest neighborhood of Riverside.

Upon investigation, authorities said they discovered that Nathaniel Hernandez committed a lewd act on a child under the age of 14.

Detectives submitted the case to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, and a warrant was issued for Hernandez's arrest.

Last Thursday, Hernandez was located in Moreno Valley and arrested. Hernandez has been charged with five counts of lewd act on a child under 14 and one count of forced sodomy.

Hernandez, who sometimes spells his first name as Nathanael, worked as a guitar instructor at a Guitar Center in Riverside. Authorities said he taught many students, including children.

One Guitar Center employee said she quit after the retailer refused to alert parents of Hernandez's arrest. The employee, Marie Strassenburg, posted a video to Facebook moments after walking out of the store accusing her former employer of keeping quiet about the arrest. The video has since gone viral.

"They told me they weren't telling the parents and that their biggest concern was that the parents would find out about it and it would be made public," Strassenburg said in an interview.

Guitar Center has not responded to requests for a comment.

Detectives, meanwhile, believe there may be more victims, because of Hernandez's access to children through his occupation.

Investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying and contacting other potential victims. If you have any relevant information about this case, you're urged to contact Detective Charlie Olivas at (951)353-7136.