Banning Church Sex Assault Suspect Will Stand Trial On Felony Charges

BANNING, CA — A 26-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a girl at a Banning church must stand trial on a felony charge, a judge ruled Friday.

Nicholas Garrett Corl of Banning was charged with one felony count of lewd acts with a 15-year-old child who is more than 10 years younger than him, according to court records.

At the end of a preliminary hearing Friday at the Banning Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro ruled that there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for Corl on the charge. A post- preliminary hearing arraignment was set for Oct. 13.

Corl, who was a faculty member of the Calvary Christian School in Banning, was allegedly with a 15-year-old girl in a storage room on school grounds, according to a declaration in support of increased bail that was filed. It's alleged that someone saw the girl on his lap, face-to-face with him, in a dark room while class was in session.

According to a police statement, an employee from the Mountain Avenue Baptist Church at 1325 Mountain Avenue went to the Banning Police Department at 3:42 p.m. Sept. 12 and reported "criminal acts against a child that occurred on church property."

The ensuing investigation culminated in the defendant's arrest at the Vista Serena Condominium Complex shortly before 6 p.m. that day.

He remains held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $100,000 bail.

Corl has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.