Cathedral City teacher accused of sexually abusing several students ordered to stand trial
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – A teacher at Cathedral City Elementary School accused of sexually abusing several students has been ordered to stand trial on several charges, authorities announced Thursday.
Brian Ruben Marquez, 67, was charged last month with seven counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 years. County court records show Marquez pleaded not guilty to all charges on June 9.
The case dates back to May 28, 2025, when police received a report from a parent alleging that a Cathedral City Elementary School teacher, Marquez, had inappropriately touched their young child. Police said detectives immediately initiated an investigation, which revealed four additional student victims.
Marquez was arrested just a day short of a year since that first report. On Thursday, he appeared at his preliminary hearing and was ordered to stand trial on the charges.
He is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 26 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Marquez remains in custody at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on $250,000 bail.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Cathedral City Police Detective Paz at (760) 0383/ npaz@cathedralcity.gov or Detective Sergeant Barnett at (760) 770-0381 or via the Cathedral City Police Department website at: cathedralcity.gov/departments/police-department; or email tips@cathedralcity.gov.
You may also report information anonymously through Coachella Valley Crime Stoppers, by calling (760) 341-STOP; or through the WeTip hotline at: 1-(800)-78-CRIME or WWW.WETIP.com. Some tip information may qualify for a cash reward.
Following the arrest of Marquez, a message was sent to all Cathedral City Elementary parents, saying in part, “We received notice earlier today that a CCE staff member who has been on administrative leave since May of 2025 has been arrested on multiple criminal charges related to inappropriate behavior with students.” The message continues, “As soon as school and district officials were made aware of these allegations last year, Brian Marquez was placed on administrative leave and reports were filed with law enforcement and child protective services officials. We have been working closely with these agencies during this extensive investigation.”
The message to parents lastly says, “The safety of our students is the number one priority at CCE and PSUSD, and we have zero tolerance for any behavior that jeopardizes that safety and trust. Thank you for your continued support and understanding.”
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.
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