Denair man ordered to stand trial on child sex abuse charges after preliminary hearing
A Stanislaus County judge on Tuesday ordered a Denair man to stand trial on multiple felony charges after a two-day preliminary hearing that included testimony from two boys and three Modesto police detectives.
Judge Carrie M. Stephens held Nick Robles to answer on all counts in the first amended complaint after hearing testimony Friday and Tuesday in Stanislaus County Superior Court.
The amended complaint charges Robles with two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child, one count of possession of child sexual abuse material, one count of sending harmful matter to a minor and one count of committing a lewd act on a child. Prosecutors also allege offenses against more than one victim.
Robles, 38, appeared in court wearing an orange-and-white jail jumpsuit and did not speak during either day of the hearing. He remains in custody with bail set at $1.1 million, according to court records. Robles is listed on LinkedIn as a corporate pilot and as president and CEO of Direct Flight Enterprises, LLC. Hilltop Ranch, Inc., where he is listed as a pilot, did not respond to a request for comment.
At the start of Friday’s hearing, Deputy District Attorney Harshan Samra said prosecutors had filed a first amended complaint adding a fifth count tied to a third alleged victim. Robles, through defense attorney Joseph McPeak, entered not-guilty pleas to all charges, enhancements and aggravating circumstances.
Because the alleged victims are minors, the court referred to them as John Doe 1, John Doe 2, and John Doe 3 during testimony. The three boys are now 13 and 14 years old.
Testimony from two boys
Friday’s hearing featured testimony from John Doe 2 and John Doe 1.
John Doe 2 testified that Robles was introduced to him by his mother and later became a regular presence in their Modesto home before moving in. He said Robles began sexually abusing him when he was 11 and that the conduct continued until shortly before Robles moved out in July 2025, though the exact timeframe was not specified.
He described multiple incidents in the home, including one in the living room and another in a bedroom when other family members were not present. John Doe 2 testified the abuse happened repeatedly — estimating 15 to 20 times — and said it occurred frequently during the first week after Robles moved in.
He also testified that Robles sent him explicit images and took photos of him. John Doe 2 said Robles gave him gifts, including a gaming console, money and airplane rides, though it was not immediately clear whether those were commercial or private flights.
Under cross-examination, McPeak questioned him about those gifts, travel and whether he had discussed the allegations with John Doe 1 before speaking to police. John Doe 2 acknowledged he and John Doe 1 — who he said was a friend — had spoken about the allegations before contacting authorities.
John Doe 1 testified that Robles first touched him inappropriately at John Doe 2’s home in 2024 and that the conduct continued for more than three months at multiple locations.
He said the abuse happened more than 10 times and testified that Robles communicated with him on Snapchat, where he sent explicit images and asked for photos in return.
Under cross-examination, McPeak pressed John Doe 1 on his timeline and his description of Robles as a “father figure.” John Doe 1 said he viewed Robles that way because Robles treated him like a son.
Because the hearing could not be completed Friday, the parties agreed to continue it to Tuesday afternoon, and Robles waived his right to a continuous preliminary hearing.
Digital evidence, investigators testify
When proceedings resumed Tuesday, prosecutors called three Modesto police detectives.
Detective Jon Evers, assigned to the department’s high-tech-crimes unit, testified he extracted data from Robles’ cellphone after receiving the passcode from Detective Jesus Salinas. Evers said the extraction produced a full file-system copy of the device and that there were no errors in the process.
Detective McKenna Harris, assigned to the special victims unit, testified she reviewed the extracted data and identified multiple images she suspected to be child sexual abuse material.
She said the images included nude photographs of juvenile males and additional images involving more than one person. Harris testified that some of the photos appeared to have been taken inside John Doe 2’s home, based on similarities in furniture and layout observed during a search warrant.
Harris also testified that a tattoo visible in one image matched tattoos seen in other photos of Robles found on the device.
Salinas, the lead investigator, testified he became involved the day after the initial July 2025 report. He seized Robles’ cellphone during a traffic stop after conducting surveillance at John Doe 2’s home. Salinas said Robles provided the passcode to the device.
Salinas testified he later obtained Snapchat records tied to Robles’ phone number and found a conversation between accounts associated with Robles and John Doe 3.
According to Salinas, the messages showed John Doe 3 warning Robles that law enforcement was speaking with him about a report and then telling Robles to delete explicit images involving himself and others.
Salinas testified Robles responded, “Everything is gone.”
Salinas said he interviewed John Doe 3 again after confronting him with the messages. He testified that John Doe 3 initially denied any inappropriate conduct but later said Robles had touched him in a sexual manner.
According to Salinas, John Doe 3 described incidents during sleepovers at John Doe 2’s home, including one in which he observed sexual activity between Robles and John Doe 2, and another in which Robles touched John Doe 3 over his clothing. Salinas testified John Doe 3 also reported being pressured to take and send explicit photos.
Salinas said John Doe 3 described a group chat involving all three boys and Robles in which explicit images were shared.
Defense challenges credibility, evidence
During cross-examination, McPeak emphasized that John Doe 3 initially denied abuse before later changing his account and questioned how investigators verified ownership of Snapchat accounts and the extent of conclusions that could be drawn from the phone evidence.
He also argued that John Doe 3 was the only witness to report a threat of violence and raised concerns about whether others may have had access to Robles’ phone.
After the prosecution rested, McPeak argued there were credibility issues among the witnesses and questioned whether testimony established the continuous time period required for one of the charges.
Samra countered that the testimony described ongoing abuse and that digital evidence corroborated the victims’ accounts.
Judge finds probable cause
Stephens agreed, saying the testimony described conduct that was ongoing and frequent and that the photographic evidence supported the prosecution’s case.
The judge found sufficient cause to believe Robles committed each charged offense and held him to answer on all counts and enhancements in the first amended complaint.
Robles is scheduled to return to court for arraignment on April 28 at 8:30 a.m.
Samra and McPeak declined to comment after the hearing.
