Menifee man arrested on suspicion of lewd acts on minor

A 70-year-old Menifee man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of lewd acts performed on a 7-year-old child, police said.

William Hammond was arrested after a search warrant was served at his residence in the 26000 block of Mehaffey Street in the Sun City community in Menifee at 6:20 a.m. Tuesday, 10 days after Temecula Police began an investigation in the case. The Feb. 17 investigation began at a residence in the 44000 block of Cabo Street in Temecula.

Hammond, a registered sex offender, worked as a self-employed piano teacher and tutor for children before he retired in 2015, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. He was booked at the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta for lewd acts against a minor and having a previous conviction for a violent felony. He is being held at Southwest Detention Center with bail set at $1 million, according to jail records.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Investigator Schell at the Temecula Police Station at 951-696-3000 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch at 951-776-1099.