Peninsula Man Accused Of Impregnating Niece Appears In Court

REDWOOD CITY, CA — A South San Francisco man accused of impregnating his 13-year-old niece made his first appearance in San Mateo County Superior Court Thursday afternoon, but did not enter a plea to the charges against him.

Rigoberto Castro, 42, was arrested July 24 on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of a child, oral copulation with a person under 18 and continuous sexual abuse of a child.

Prosecutors say Castro had numerous sexual encounters with his niece, who gave birth in May, and that his paternity has been established by DNA - but Ruben Munoz, Castro's defense attorney, said they intend to request a test with their own DNA expert.

"Right now what I can tell you is that he intends to fight this," Munoz said. "I believe he's not guilty."

Castro did not enter a plea Thursday, as Munoz asked for additional time to review the police reports. Castro is scheduled to return to court at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 10.

Meanwhile, he remains in custody on $3.5 million bail. District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the defendant and his attorney have indicated they intend to file a motion to have the amount reduced.

— By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock