Modesto man pleads not guilty to sex with Merced teen

A 62-year-old Modesto man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nearly two dozen criminal charges in connection with an alleged yearlong sexual relationship he had with a 14-year-old Merced girl.

Robert Grover Dingman entered his plea before Judge Mark V. Bacciarini in Merced County Superior Court.

He is charged with 20 counts, many of them felonies, including forcible sodomy, statutory rape, oral copulation with a minor, and lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, the Merced County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.

Dingman’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Stephanie Jamieson, was not immediately available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Michael McKinney, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said Dingman was ordered to return to court Feb. 17 for further proceedings.

Dingman was arrested Jan. 17 by the Merced Police Department. Detective Raquel Rios, the lead investigator in the case, captured Dingman after arranging a meeting between him and the girl at a Merced motel.

Merced police have said Dingman met the girl through social media websites and arranged meetings for sex at motels. Investigators believe he and girl engaged in more than 30 sexual acts over a yearlong period. He is also accused of providing the girl with alcohol and marijuana, according to police.

Detectives later searched Dingman’s home in Modesto where they seized his computer and other possible evidence in the case.

Investigators believe Dingman may have victimized other underage girls in Stanislaus County, whom he also allegedly contacted over websites like Facebook and Tumblr, officers said in a news release.

Dingman remained in custody Tuesday at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility on more than $1.3 million bail, according to booking records.

Police said the case remains under investigation.

This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Modesto man pleads not guilty to sex with Merced teen."