A driving instructor accused of molesting and secretly filming multiple female students, most of whom were underage, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nearly three dozen felony and misdemeanor charges.
Richard Joseph Banks, 50, of Escondido, is accused of sexually abusing female students during driving lessons, as well as “using secret cameras hidden in the instructional car to record his students’ private areas,” according to the San Diego Police Department.
At the time of the purported offenses, Banks was an instructor with El Cajon-based American Driving School, according to San Diego police, who are involved in the case because one of the alleged crimes occurred within their jurisdiction, according to SDPD Capt. Mike Holden.
All but one of the 11 victims listed in a criminal complaint were underage at the time of the alleged offenses, according to Deputy District Attorney Casey French. The complaint states the alleged crimes occurred between April and November of last year.
Banks was booked into county jail last week. He faces up to 18 years and six months in state prison if convicted of all 33 charges he faces, which include counts of child molestation, sexual battery and possession of child pornography.
He remains jailed without bail but a hearing was scheduled for Friday to re-examine his bail status.
American Driving School’s owner, Daniel Tackett, said in a statement that Banks passed a background check before he was hired. Prosecutors said Tuesday that he does not have any prior criminal history in San Diego County.
Tackett said, “We were shocked by the allegations against Joe. His actions are his alone, and they violate the trust and policies of our company and those of the DMV regarding inappropriate behavior. He hasn’t taught any students after SDPD notified us of their investigation. We’ve always encouraged parents to ride on the lessons for observation of our teaching methods.”
San Diego police said anyone who believes they might be a victim was advised to call police and speak with investigators. Anyone with information was asked to contact SDPD’s Northeastern Division at 858-538-8026 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
Updated at 4:44 p.m. Jan. 16, 2024
City News Service contributed to this article.