Pretrial motions begin for felon who allegedly sexually assaulted boy in Riverside County

By City News Service

The City of Riverside is inviting locals to participate in the GROW Riverside & Beyond Conference, which will occur from March 30 through 31 at the Grove Community Church, located at 19900 Grove Community Dr. GROW Riverside & Beyond Conference is a multi-stakeholder initiative to cultivate food and agricultural activities across the Inland Southern California region. The conference will equip the public with tools and knowledge to create a strong marketplace for local food systems, generate opportunities for community and economic development, advance public policy related to food and agriculture, and provide a venue for stakeholders to network.

The event will be hosting over 20 speaking sessions throughout its two-day hosting, with a multitude of guest speakers discussing several topics

The conference’s keynote speaker will be Jean-Martin Fortier. Fortier is a farmer, educator, entrepreneur, and bestselling author specializing in organic and bio-intensive vegetable production. His award-winning book, The Market Gardener, now published in 10 languages, has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide to reimagine ecological human-scale food systems.

His teachings have been adapted to the Market Gardener Masterclass, a comprehensive online program that supports over 3,400-plus growers in over 90 countries. His message is one of empowerment with the intention to educate, encourage, and inspire people to pursue a career and lifestyle focused on growing food with care, by and for people who care.

In 2020, Fortier founded Growers & Co. a farm tool and apparel company that also features the biannual magazine that focuses on celebrating the movement of small-scale organic farming. He is based in Quebec, Canada, where he manages Ferme des Quatre-Temps, a research and training farm that intends to serve as a model for the future of agricul- ture.

Another guest speaker at the event will be Dr. Chandra Richards, who is the Agricultural Land Acquisitions Academic Coordinator working at UC ANR across Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties. She supports the mission of the Sustainable Agricultural Land Conservation grant program (SALC) by improving

Pretrial motions were underway Friday ahead of jury selection for the trial of a convicted sex offender accused of repeatedly assaulting a Murrieta boy and arranging for other men to do the same.

David Everett Leibowitz, 44, of Menifee, is charged with three counts of sodomy of a minor, three counts of oral copulation of a child, two counts of lewd acts on a child and one count each of inducing a minor to perform commercial sex acts, child stealing, possession of child porn, arranging to meet a minor to commit a felony and indecent exposure to a minor.

During a hearing Thursday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Molloy conferred with the prosecution and defense regarding trial proceedings, and both sides indicated that they were prepared to move forward, though no courtroom had yet been assigned to hear the matter.

Molloy ordered the parties to return to the downtown courthouse Friday for a courtroom assignment, provided a department becomes available.

Leibowtiz is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

District Attorney’s Office and Murrieta Police Department personnel jointly investigated his case over a period of months, culminating in the filing of charges during the summer of 2018.

According to the D.A.’s office, the defendant met the victim, identified only as a teenager, via a dating website in January 2015.

Prosecutors allege Leibowitz had the boy come to his residence, where the convicted felon committed “multiple violent sex acts” over an unspecified period

Menifee

of time, according to an agency statement.

It’s further alleged that he invited other adult males -- as yet unidentified -- to engage in similar acts with the teen.

The alleged offenses did not come to light until several years later. It was unclear why.

According to court records, Leibowitz has prior convictions for lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and theft.

If convicted, he could face life in prison.

in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Elaine Kiefer received a report from a psychologist pertaining to the defendant’s mental health, though the contents of the filing were not disclosed.

Based on the evaluation, Kiefer ordered additional analyses and halted criminal proceedings until they’re completed. Another hearing is set for April 20.

Broersma is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

According to Menifee police Capt. Heriberto Gutierrez, about 7 p.m. on Jan. 14, the defendant met with relatives of her former spouse, whose identity was not disclosed, in the 29000 block of Antelope Road, near Wendover Road, to return her 6- and 8-year-old kids to their father.

Gutierrez alleged that after the children were situated in the relatives’ vehicle, Broersma jumped behind the wheel and sped away, prompting immediate calls to 911.

“Family members were able to track the suspect via her cell phone, and she was located in the area of the Interstate 215/60 freeway (interchange),” the captain said.

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He said sheriff’s deputies signaled the defendant to pull over, but she refused, “and a vehicle pursuit ensued.”

“The vehicle traveled into the San Diego area, where officers from the Escondido Police Department took over the pursuit,” Gutierrez said. “The suspect was able to evade officers when she crossed the border and entered into Mexico.”

No effort was made to track the vehicle in Tijuana.

Gutierrez said U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents were alerted to the alleged parental abduction and advised that Broersma might attempt to re- enter the country, which she did the following morning at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego County.

The captain said agents stopped the vehicle at the border crossing and took the defendant into custody without incident. The children, who were uninjured, were returned to their father the same day.

Broersma has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.