Abortion Rights Supporters Arraigned As RivCo Sheriff Faces Lawsuit

RIVERSIDE, CA — Five of the six people charged with felony vandalism stemming from July protests at the Riverside Historic Courthouse made their first court appearance Thursday.

All were scheduled for arraignment, and the proceedings got underway as a libel lawsuit filed by Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is also making its way through the judicial system.

Who is charged with vandalism?

The six people charged include Aida Y. Aston, 32; Alexander Jacob Castro, 23: Kamile Dincsoy, 48; Alexandria T. Fite, 32; Elise S. Kelder, 28; and Oliver E. Solares Herrera, 24.

Aston’s arraignment was continued to Jan. 12, and Dincsoy was out of the county prompting an arrest warrant. The others entered not-guilty pleas and are scheduled to appear for a Jan. 12 felony settlement conference.

Castro, Fite, Kelder, and Solares Herrera are accused of putting green handprints on the court building at 4050 Main Street during a July 30 protest against abortion restrictions. Aston, Dinscoy, and Fite are accused of similar vandalism during a related July 9 protest.

The county claims the cost to clean up the vandalism was more than $17,000.

“The public has a right to peacefully protest and express their political views,” said Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin. “As District Attorney, I am committed to protecting these rights guaranteed to us by our U.S. and California Constitutions. But when peaceful protesters turn violent or begin to vandalize and damage or destroy property, their actions can no longer be considered a peaceful protest. We cannot and will not tolerate vandalism and destruction of any property in Riverside County.”

The councilmember's beef

When a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department provided a summary of the alleged July 30 vandalism incident, including names of arrestees, there was no mention of Councilmember Cervantes, but Sheriff Chad Bianco took to his social media accounts to incriminate her.

"I will always be a supporter of everyone's Constitutional rights until you break the law," the sheriff said on social media at the time. "Our downtown courthouse is a beautiful piece of history and art. When you damage, deface, or destroy property you are no longer a protester, you are nothing more than a common criminal. Shame on the Riverside city councilwoman for supporting the defacing of our courthouse. You are lucky we couldn't arrest you.

"As long as you keep electing me, this disgusting behavior will never be tolerated. We arrested 5 of the protesters for felony vandalism," he added.

Bianco updated the post with, "There have been a lot of comments and private messages about a councilwoman being present in support. I apologize to Councilwoman Gaby Plascencia and Erin Edwards if my post caused you unnecessary attention. It was Clarissa Cervantes who was present. (Not even her Ward)."

Councilmember Cervantes represents Ward 2, which includes the east side of the city.

The sheriff continued, "This is a very active investigation and anyone criminally culpable in any way will be held accountable."

In response, Councilmember Cervantes issued a July 31 statement, calling Bianco's accusation about her, "false."

"While visiting downtown Riverside last night, I witnessed the arrest of protesters who vandalized our historic courthouse. I recognized one of the Riverside Police Department officers who were on the scene, so I spoke to him briefly to ask what was occurring and thank him for his work. Neither myself nor any of my City Council colleagues were involved with the protest or the vandalism," the statement read.

"This morning I woke up to learn that Sheriff Chad Bianco had used his social media platforms to wrongfully accuse me of taking part in the vandalism.

"I believe that accusing an elected leader of committing a crime — without offering any evidence — crosses a very clear line. Since Sheriff Bianco's post went public, I've received slandering comments and threatening messages through social media.

"Riverside County deserves better from our elected Sheriff, and I'm calling on Sheriff Bianco to retract his previous statements and publicly apologize," the councilmember said.

According to a report from The Press-Enterprise, Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback said that police body camera footage showed Cervantes arriving at the courthouse after officers responded to the vandalism report, and she left minutes after speaking with a police sergeant.

On Aug. 3, California Assemblymembers Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside), Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), and Jose Medina (D-Riverside) released a joint statement condemning Bianco, calling his social media comments "reprehensible" and "reckless." The lawmakers called on the sheriff to "retract his false statement and issue a public apology to Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes and the residents of the City of Riverside."

Bianco has not obliged.

The councilmember takes legal action

On Sept. 27, Cervantes filed a libel lawsuit against Bianco over his social media comments.

The suit alleges that the sheriff's comments were false and caused “immense harm” to Cervantes’ reputation.

The suit seeks unspecified damages.

When asked about the lawsuit immediately after the filing, Bianco told The Press-Enterprise in a text message, “I haven’t read it but I’m sure it’s as fictional as most of her social media posts after the event."