Man Arrested For Multiple Santa Clarita Sex Assaults
Officials: Man Has Been Deported Twice

POSTED: 10:29 pm PDT September 13, 2007

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- A man wanted for two "related sexual assaults" and several other crimes in the Santa Clarita Valley has been arrested, authorities said Thursday.

Adrian Arriano, who officials believe was in this country illegally after being deported twice, was wanted for sexual assaults of two women that occurred on Jan. 6 and March 29, police said.

Arriano is also linked to the attempted sexual assault of a woman in her apartment in the 18800 block of Mandan Street in Canyon Country, said Sgt. Darren Harris of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Santa Clarita Valley Station.

Victims of the assaults shared their feelings of gratitude about the arrest at a news conference Thursday.

"It's hopefully going to be a start of a new chapter, because it's been very difficult to deal with," one woman said tearfully. "These guys are amazing, and I just want to thank them from the bottom of my heart."

Another woman, who managed to escape being assaulted, said her "heart goes out to the girls that did get a lot worse than me. I screamed, and that saved my life or a lot worse."

Arriano is not the suspect wanted in connection with the attempted assault in Santa Clarita last Thursday of a 17-year-old girl who was accosted as she got into her car at Oak and Kansas streets, Harris said.

In mid-July, alleged victim Erin O'Brien publicly criticized the sheriff's department for what she claimed was a delay in releasing a composite drawing of the suspect.

Sheriff's officials defended their actions, saying they didn't want to release the composite for fear of tipping off the suspect.

Copyright 2007 by KNBC.com and KNBC (NBC4 Los Angeles). All rights reserved.

http://www.knbc.com/news/14112045/detai ... a&psp=news