Aliso Viejo Serial Rape Suspect Booked In The Orange County Jail

ALISO VIEJO, CA — An Army veteran suspected of committing a trio of attacks on women in Aliso Viejo dating back to January 2020 was extradited from Anchorage, Alaska, before being booked into the Orange County Jail Thursday, City News Service reported.

Robert Daniel Yucas, a 51-year-old resident of Cathedral City, is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman last month near Pacific Park Drive and Alicia Parkway, and two other women earlier this year near the same area.

Yucas was arrested last month in Alaska, and is charged with three counts of kidnapping to commit a sex offense, three counts of assault with the intent to commit a sex offense, a count of attempted forcible rape and a count of rape, all felonies, according to court records.

Yucas could spend up to 45 years to life in prison if convicted of all crimes at trial, but because of a new state law granting parole sooner for defendants older than 50, he could qualify for a parole hearing in 19 years post-conviction, Spitzer said.

Authorities investigating the Aliso Viejo attacks checked DNA recovered from the victims in Orange County, but were unable to find a match until receiving an anonymous tip through Orange County Crime Stoppers about a person — Yucas — who was arrested in an unspecified case in San Diego on Sept. 4, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said.

Since January 2020, a series of attempted rapes and attacks along the Aliso Creek Trail has sparked fear in residents who enjoy that idyllic walking path in the heart of Orange County. Trees, brush and wildlife surround the meandering, moderately trafficked path. The last known attack was on Aug. 28, when someone rendered a woman unconscious before assaulting her in the underbrush off the trail.

City News Service contributed to this report.