Law enforcement recently reported that they have apprehended a man suspected of
kidnapping and assaulting a 10-year-old Northridge girl. The suspect was tracked
down and arrested in Mexico at a Tijuana drug and alcohol rehabilitation
center. Working together, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and
the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had been concentrating their
investigations near the California-Mexico border due to indicators that
he may have fled in this direction. An LAPD chief stated that they received
footage of the suspect crossing the border into Tecate, Mexico earlier
this month.
The suspect has been charged with 36 counts of sexual assault, a kidnapping
charge and a first-degree burglary charge. If he is convicted on all of
these counts, then he could be facing multiple life sentences. The mission
to capture this man began when a felony complaint was filed for an incident
that took place on the night of March 27th. According to this complaint, the suspect broke into the home and used
a knife to kidnap the 10-year-old Northridge girl. The complaint also
alleges that the suspect repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl and took
naked pictures of her.
The suspect was discovered beat up 12 hours later in a Woodland Hills parking
lot. There is also an alleged accomplice to this attempted burglary and
kidnapping. A second suspect was arrested. He pled not guilty, but if
he is convicted, he could face as many as 12 years in prison. Authorities
believe that this second suspect was the driver of the getaway vehicle.
Both suspects in this case have prior convictions on their record, but
neither of them are registered sex offenders.
If the primary suspect is convicted, he will face lifetime sex offender
registration status. Tier III sex offenses are typically those that involve
minors and/or are violent. The FBI identified the suspect as a career
criminal and a habitual offender. In California, a third felony offense
that is violent can qualify a person for "third strike" penalties
(25 years to life imprisonment).
The 36 counts of
sexual assault are undoubtedly the most serious charges that the suspect faces. Kidnapping
someone under the age of 14 is punishable by imprisonment in the state
prison for a period of 5, 8 or 11 years (§ 208 of the California
Penal Code) and first-degree
burglary is punishable by imprisonment in state prison for a period of 2, 4 or
six years.
Martinian & Associates Inc. is a serious
criminal defense law firm that represents clients no matter how serious their charges are.
We never back down from complex cases. If you are facing a
felony offense, a
federal criminal charge or sexual assault charges,
contact our firm today to discuss your case.