Trio Charged Today In Connection With Alleged Kidnap, Assault of Woman, 22

Three men were arraigned in Sonoma County Superior Court this afternoon in connection with the brutal sexual assaults of a woman held in captivity at a Santa Rosa residence for more than three months.

Jose Angel Barajas-Mireles, 34, of Santa Rosa, allegedly masterminded the sexual assaults that occurred at his residence at 3555 Stony Point Road between Dec. 1 and Feb. 18, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said.

He was charged today with two counts each of forced rape, oral copulation and sodomy, six counts of conspiracy and one count of false imprisonment. The complaint also alleges Barajas-Mireles inflicted torture and great bodily injury, used a deadly weapon and committed the sex assaults in concert with the two other defendants.

Jaime Gomez Cisneros, 52, of Watsonville, and Guillermo Cresteno Avina, 34, of Santa Rosa, are charged with six counts of conspiracy to commit the sexual assaults and one count of false imprisonment.

They were not charged with committing any of the sexual assaults, and investigators have said they were responsible for guarding the victim and preventing her from leaving the compound.

The complaint alleges the conspiracy involved restricting the 22-year-old woman’s movements, taking her off the property but not allowing her to leave, working at the direction of Jose Barajas-Mireles and preventing the victim from leaving the property where the assaults took place.

None of the defendants entered pleas this afternoon, and they are being held in the Sonoma County Jail under $6 million bail. Judge Shelly Averill set March 3 for entry of pleas and appointment of attorneys. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said the woman contacted Petaluma police on Feb. 18.

She said she was beaten and sexually abused, had injuries consistent with her statements, and said she escaped when her captors left a door open, sheriff’s Lt. Carlos Basurto said. Detectives determined the woman was kidnapped in the Roseland area of Santa Rosa and they determined the location where she was held captive, Basurto said.

“Out of an overwhelming sense of fear of retaliation coupled with the traumatic events she endured, she initially stated to law enforcement that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint,” Sgt. Cecile Focha said on Wednesday.

The complaint, however, does not charge the defendants with kidnapping. The sheriff’s office’s SWAT team served a search warrant on the Stony Point Road property on Feb. 19 and detained several people, Basurto said.

The three men were arrested Wednesday when they went to the sheriff’s office to retrieve property seized during the search. The sheriff’s office said the incident is still under investigation.

Previous related coverage on Patch:

• Several Detained Today As Part Of Sonoma County Kidnapping Investigation
• Arrests Made In Sonoma Co. Brutal Kidnap, Repeated Sex Assault of Woman, 22

--Bay City News

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