The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A 43-year-old man was reportedly taken into custody in Portland and arraigned on multiple felony charges, including first-degree attempted rape, kidnapping, and burglary, after a series of alleged incidents in a residential neighborhood.
According to the authorities, the suspect was located shortly after a reported attack when a group of about 15 people followed him through the area, pointing him out to officers. He was taken into custody without incident, but police said he made inappropriate remarks to a responding officer at the time of his arrest.
Investigators later stated that the man was suspected of approaching several women earlier that day. In one case, he allegedly entered a nearby church and inappropriately touched a woman before leaving. The authorities also reported that two other women in the neighborhood were grabbed by the suspect as he passed them on the street.
The most serious allegations stemmed from an incident inside a home, where a mother was reportedly upstairs with her two young children while her husband worked outside. The woman told the authorities she initially believed she heard her husband enter the house, but became alarmed when an unfamiliar man appeared in the doorway and spoke to her.
According to reports, the suspect grabbed the woman while she was holding her infant and forced her into another room, where he attempted to sexually assault her. The woman reportedly asked to place the baby in a crib to prevent injury, and the suspect allowed her to do so. She then secured herself and her older child in another room and called for help from a balcony, alerting her husband and others nearby.
The suspect later claimed he had used methamphetamine earlier that day and gave a conflicting account of the encounter. He was also reportedly facing a probation violation tied to a prior indecent exposure case. At the time this was written, he was being held without bail.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.