Man Accused of Repeated Sexual Assaults on Girl in Temecula Faces Judge

MURRIETA, CA - A man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a runaway girl he kept in a Temecula motel room and successfully eluding deputies twice before he finally surrendered must stand trial on 38 felony and misdemeanor charges, a judge has ruled.

Edgar Alberto Baca, 30, was arrested following a standoff with deputies last August.

He's charged with assault, inflicting great bodily injury on a cohabitant, forcible sodomy, forced oral copulation of a minor, statutory rape, furnishing alcoholic beverages to a minor, resisting arrest and other counts.

Following a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial and scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Aug. 29.

Baca is being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center.

According to sheriff's officials, Baca came under suspicion last Aug. 21 after the alleged victim, whose identity was not released, was caught shoplifting at a Temecula Walmart and told investigators that she had been sent there by her adult boyfriend, later identified as Baca.

Sheriff's Sgt. Jon Wade alleged that the teenager was a runaway and had been forced to stay with the defendant. According to court papers, she had been with Baca since early May 2015.

The defendant was parked outside the Walmart but allegedly fled when he saw deputies arrive to question the girl. Baca's vehicle was spotted a few hours later, and deputies attempted to stop him, but he accelerated away, heading into Murrieta with deputies on his tail, Wade said.

He abandoned the vehicle and ran away on foot, eluding capture overnight, the sergeant said. Early the next morning, investigators learned that Baca was staying in a room at the Motel 6 on Moreno Road, just off Interstate 15, he said.

When deputies attempted to make contact with him, Baca blocked the door to his room and refused to come out, Wade said.

The motel was evacuated and repeated attempts were made to convince the defendant to give up, but he did not respond. A SWAT unit surrounded the property and eventually forced entry into the room, but by that time, Baca had crawled out of the lodge, undetected, via an attic ventilation shaft that led to an opening in the roof, Wade said.

A short time later, Baca walked into the sheriff's Temecula station and surrendered without incident.

According to court records, he has prior misdemeanor convictions for driving under the influence and resisting arrest.

–By City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.