$500K bail for accused serial rapist

http://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_p ... p?id=70972

By Michelle Durand
Feb 17, 2007

A 28-year-old South San Francisco auto body worker accused of raping two women and attempting to sexually assault three more is in custody on $500,000 bail for one alleged attack that happened in his work complex while authorities continue tying him to the other incidents.

Raul Guitterez Contreras appeared in court for the second time this week to consolidate the charges of attempted rape, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon with a prior driving while intoxicated case and delayed a plea in both. After asking for the court to appoint an attorney, Contreras was ordered back to court Feb. 16 and Judge Craig Parson set bail at $500,000.

Contreras, a transient and an illegal immigrant, was arrested last Friday at his South San Francisco workplace, less than 24 hours after police released a sketch to the public. The linchpin for the person who tipped off police to Contreras’ place of employment was a cut above his eye inflicted by one of his alleged victims Wednesday in the 200 block of Maple Street. The victim in that case fought back, cutting her attacker’s left eye. One of Contreras’ co-workers noticed a similar cut over Contreras’ left eye and told a relative, who in turn called the South San Francisco Police Department Friday morning. Police located Contreras at the auto body shop at which he worked on the 200 block of Maple Street. He was arrested on a $5,000 arrest warrant issued after failing to appear in court for a Sept. 22 DUI arrest. Contreras remained in custody on the warrant this week while prosecutors ensured the case against him for the sexual assaults is strong.

On Feb. 7, according to one alleged victim, a man smelling of alcohol and wearing surgical gloves followed a her into her South Maple Avenue business and asked to use her phone. When she questioned him, police say he grabbed her and a struggle ensued. During the fight, the man broke the woman’s cell phone and the woman struck her attacker with a metal object, cutting him above his left eye. The man then motioned for her to take her pants off. The woman briefly distracted the man by calmly talking to him before running into the bathroom, where she locked the door and called 911 on a second cell phone she was carrying.

Although he is only facing charges from one incident currently, the assumption is that more will be added as DNA tests are completed. So far, Contreras is tentatively linked to a February 2006 rape in Colma, two attempted rapes in South San Francisco’s Orange Park in September and November, and a rape on South Linden Avenue in South San Francisco, also in November.

The description of the Feb. 10 attacker matches accounts of earlier sexual assaults in the city, according to police.

Contreras allegedly also confessed to the one attempted attack.

He has no prior criminal history in San Mateo County aside from the DUI arrest, said court records clerks.



Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.