Thread: CA: Rape suspect who had been deported enters not guilty ple

Rape suspect who had been deported enters not guilty plea

UNION-TRIBUNE

6:22 p.m. April 4, 2008

EL CAJON – A man who had been deported to Mexico as a convicted felon pleaded not guilty Friday to kidnapping and raping a La Mesa woman in El Cajon.

Israel Mendez, 25, is charged with two counts of forcible rape, one count of forcible sodomy, one count of forcible oral copulation, kidnapping with the intent to commit rape and robbery.

El Cajon Superior Court Judge Patricia K. Cookson set an April 17 hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence for a trial and appointed the county Public Defenders' Office to represent Mendez.

Deputy District Attorney Curtis Ross told the judge that Mendez accosted a woman who was walking along Main Street in El Cajon around 9 p.m. March 27.

Mendez held a knife to the woman's throat and forced her into his mid-1990's vintage green Thunderbird, Ross said. He said Mendez drove about five blocks to a more secluded area where he raped her.

After taking the woman's purse, Mendez let her out of the car and she ran to a nearby house for help, Ross said.

Ross said Mendez was convicted of residential robbery in 2003 and deported to Mexico after serving four years in prison.

Ray Huard: (619) 593-4953; ray.huard@uniontrib.com

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metr ... endes.html

Have you noticed all plead 'not guilty'?

Is this on the advice of the consulates (who the accused is allowed access to and consultation from) to run up the costs of a full trial, prove more costly for court-appointed lawyers, over-crowd courts with longer trials and make our legal system more costly?

It's probably on advise of his public defender.

He'll probably change his plea to guilty after they drop about half the charges.

I live in El Cajon and have been watching the local news broadcasts for details on this story but very few stations even reported this crime, and the few that did made no mention whatsoever that the rapist scumbag was an illegal or had been previously deported. But then again, that's nothing new for local San Diego news.


Local NBC affilliate, no mention of perp being illegal:

Police Say East County Rapist Is In Custody

SAN DIEGO -- El Cajon police arrested a man who they said kidnapped and raped a woman in the East County City last week.

Israel Mendez, 25, was arrested Tuesday in the 2900 block of Jamacha Road, according to El Cajon police.

Investigators said a woman was kidnapped from the 1200 block of East Main Street in El Cajon last Thursday, then taken her to a remote area and sexually assaulted her.

Police said they took a suspect into custody that night in a green Thunderbird. He matched the description provided to investigators. He was identified by the victim and arrested in connection with the attack, as well as for an outstanding bail warrant.

However, investigators determined Tuesday that it was unlikely that the suspect's vehicle was the one used during the kidnapping. The charges connected to the attack were dropped, but the man remains in custody on unrelated charges.

Later that night, an off-duty California Department of Justice agent with knowledge of the case saw a green Thunderbird in a parking lot off of Jamacha Road. Officials said the agent recognized items in the car described by the victim. The agent called police, who eventually took Mendez into custody.

Police said Mendez was booked into county jail on charges of kidnapping with the intent to rape, rape and additional felony charges.

Local ABC affilliate, no mention of perp being illegal:

Man Arrested In Connection With El Cajon Abduction, Rape

EL CAJON, Calif. -- A suspect in an El Cajon abduction-rape -- the second person arrested in the case -- was behind bars Wednesday, while the man originally arrested for the crime was cleared of charges, authorities reported.

Israel Mendez, 25, was arrested Tuesday night in Rancho San Diego after detectives saw him getting into the type of car driven by the perpetrator of last week's kidnapping, sexual assault and armed holdup of a 24-year-old woman, according to police.

Mendez was booked into county jail on suspicion of abduction, rape and robbery, Lt. Tim Henton said.

On Tuesday, prosecutors dropped those allegations against a 29-year-old Los Angeles County man who was jailed for the crime the night it occurred.

Jesse John Garcia of Palmdale remains in custody on unrelated charges, Henton said.

About 9 p.m. Thursday, the victim was getting off a bus in the 1200 block of East Main Street when a man approached and tried to engage her in conversation, according to investigators.

When the woman started to walk away, a stranger put a knife to her throat, threatened to kill her and forced her into a green Ford Thunderbird. He then drove her to a secluded area and raped her, Henton said.

The attacker stole the victim's purse before releasing her, the lieutenant said.

About 11:30 that night, a patrol officer spotted Garcia behind the wheel of a green Thunderbird and pulled him over in the 500 block of East Washington Avenue in El Cajon.

Police brought the victim to the area, and she identified Garcia as the man who had attacked her.

Detectives and evidence technicians eventually concluded, however, that the car, while similar to the one driven by the assailant, was not the same one, the lieutenant said.

They notified the district attorney's office, which made arrangements to clear Garcia of charges in the case.

On Tuesday night, an off-duty state Department of Justice agent with knowledge of the crime spotted an unoccupied green Thunderbird in a parking lot in the 2900 block of Jamacha Road.

Inside the sedan, she saw items matching those that the rape victim had described as being inside the assailant's car, Henton said. The agent then called El Cajon police detectives, who put the vehicle under surveillance.

When Mendez walked up to the auto, the detectives detained him, decided he matched the victim's description of her assailant and arrested him, according to Henton.

Additional evidence that allegedly ties Mendez to the crime was found in the Thunderbird, Henton said, declining to elaborate.