NASHUA – The lawyer for Rafael Rivera, the Nashua man accused of sexually molesting a 12-year-old girl for several months, told a Superior Court judge Monday that his client should be released on either personal recognizance or low cash bail because the prosecution had no evidence that Rivera would pose a danger to the community.

“What we have here is uncorroborated allegations … there’s no forensic evidence; there have been no admissions,” attorney Ryan Guptill said, noting also that Rivera cooperated with the police investigation.

But Assistant County Attorney Brett Harpster argued that Rivera, if released, would in fact pose a danger and flight risk, given his criminal history and the nature of the allegations, in which the alleged victim reported he’d molested her “at least six times” since June, according to Harpster and police reports.

Particularly “interesting,” Harpster told the court, was Rivera’s reaction when police initially approached him and said they’d like to ask him some questions.

“You think I molested the girls?” Rivera allegedly responded, “before the officers mentioned anything about the reason they wanted to talk to him,” Harpster said.

Ultimately, Judge William Delker, a Hillsborough County Superior Court-North judge who filled in Monday for Hillsborough South Judge Charles Temple, granted Harpster’s recommendation that Rivera be housed on preventive detention.

Rivera is charged with one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault, a special felony accusing him of engaging in a pattern of sexual assault against the 12-year-old girl for roughly seven months.

Police said in their reports they arrested Rivera, 53, whose last known address is 57 Palm St., late Friday night, four days after they received a report that Rivera had allegedly made inappropriate contact with the alleged victim on multiple occasions.

A day later, the alleged victim was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center, during which she disclosed the allegations, police said.

Police said detectives learned that Rivera allegedly told the girl “to stop being awkward” regarding his alleged actions, and told her he was teaching her “lessons on how to be a girl,” the reports state.

After interviewing the alleged victim and several witnesses, and collecting evidence, some by executing search warrants, detectives on Thursday requested, and were granted, a warrant for Rivera’s arrest.

Police said when a detective contacted Rivera by phone, he allegedly “refused to provide his whereabouts … but promised to turn himself in” – which he did the following day.

Rivera, police said, agreed to an interview with detectives, during which “he made no admissions to engaging in” the behavior alleged by the girl.

He was subsequently ordered jailed for the weekend, pending Monday’s arraignment and bail hearing.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256, or at dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.