A Castaic man who’s also a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, pleaded not guilty in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday to two charges that he committed lewd acts with a minor. 

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Miguel Schiappapietra, 28, is still in custody after his bail was doubled to $200,000 at the request of the District Attorney’s Office.

Schiappapietra is scheduled to come back May 30 for a preliminary hearing at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, where the evidence in the case will be presented for trial.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.

The Los Angeles Police Department officer was arrested Saturday on child molestation charges, according to a sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau.

He was arrested and charged with two counts of lewd acts with a child, and the victims are under 10 years of age, said Sgt. Brian Hudson of the Special Victims Bureau.   

The alleged crimes occurred in Castaic, which is where the officer lived, Hudson said. He was arrested at his Castaic home.

“I can confirm that we have an investigation involving an LAPD officer,” Hudson said. “The allegations involved child molestation.”

Schiappapietra was initially suspected of one count, and the detectives’ investigation led to the additional charge.

Two girls told detectives that at 9 a.m. on Saturday, the suspect lured them into his residence in the 28000 block of Branch Road in Castaic, and committed lewd acts, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. 

The investigation is in its preliminary phases,  Hudson said. However, he said detectives have no reason to suspect there are additional victims at this time.

Schiappapietra was a six-year veteran of the LAPD and stationed at the Foothill Station for the Los Angeles Police Department. 

No additional information about the details of the allegations or the investigation are being released at this time, he said.

The Special Victims Bureau has seven locations throughout Los Angeles County and investigates all sexual and physical assaults of children, as well as all sex crimes.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Bureau at (877) 710-5273. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or by using the websitehttp://lacrimestoppers.org

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

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