A 22-year-old man who groped a girl in a Menifee park pleaded guilty Wednesday to lewd acts on a child.
Roland George Riddell admitted the felony count during a status hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Mark Mandio scheduled a sentencing hearing for Oct. 24. Riddell is free on a $55,000 bond.
According to sheriff's officials, on the evening of April 21, 2018, Riddell was roaming La Ladera Park when he accosted the young girl, whose name was not released and whom Riddell did not know.
Riddell touched the child's buttocks several times while speaking to her, prompting adults supervising other children nearby to shout at him, investigators said.
Riddell tried to run away, but several men chased him to the edge of the park and grabbed him, holding him until deputies arrived.
No one was injured.
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Part of the apprehension was videotaped by a witness using a cellphone, authorities said.
Riddell's attorney sought a mental health assessment, but that endeavor was abandoned when the plea agreement was reached, according to court records.
Riddell has no documented prior felony convictions.
