SANTA CLARA — A man has been arrested following a kidnap and sexual assault investigation into a reported attack at a city park last month, authorities said.
The attack was reported around 1:30 a.m. July 13 after 911 dispatchers were alerted to someone yelling for help at Carmichael Park on Benton Street, according to Santa Clara police. Responding officers went to the site and found a woman who told them she had been sexually assaulted.
The only account of the suspect at the time described a man who ran north from the park and jumped a fence for a nearby condominium complex. Officers searched the area but did not find him, and later that day issued a news release asking for neighbors and businesses to review their security and surveillance footage for tips.
An ensuing investigation, aided by the Santa Clara County Crime Lab and Sheriff’s Office, led to detectives identifying a 24-year-old Santa Clara man as a suspect. Police said he was tracked and arrested in the city Aug. 4, and booked into the Elmwood men’s jail in Milpitas. A police news release Monday announcing the arrest did not explain why the department announced it nearly two weeks later.
Court and jail records show that the suspect was charged Aug. 6 with kidnapping, with a criminal complaint alleging he tried to “carry away” the victim “to commit rape. He was also charged with assault with the intent to commit sexual crimes. The man was arraigned the day the charges were filed and and is being held in jail without bail.
Anyone with information about the July 13 attack can contact Detective Sgt. Doug Bell at 408-615-4814 or by email at dbell@santaclaraca.gov. Anonymous tips can be left at 408-615-4847.