A landscaper was arrested in connection with the rape and sexual assault of six women, and officials in Riverside County said there may be additional victims.
Thirty-six-year-old Jose Manuel Martinez Garcia was taken into custody October 5 and charged Friday with 14 felonies, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Those charges included forcible rape, attempted murder, kidnapping, and additional sex-related counts.
The man who reportedly drove around the area in a white Chevy Silverado and a white Dodge Ram was held without bail.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office alleged Garcia physically or sexually assaulted six women in Coachella Valley between September of last year and August of this year.
The office detailed the case in a press release Thursday:
The attacks included three victims being strangled to unconsciousness and two incidents in which the victim was struck by the defendant’s pickup. In one of those, the victim sustained a broken leg. She was left injured in a ditch in Thermal for a several days before being found and given medical assistance. Garcia is a Mexican National who was living in Coachella. He previously lived in the Bakersfield area.
The agency shared a photo of Garcia in a social media post on Friday:
DA Mike Hestrin announced today, Dec. 10, 2021, that our office has filed charges – including four counts of attempted…
Posted by Riverside County District Attorney’s Office on Friday, December 10, 2021
Video footage showed officials making the announcement at a press conference where photos of both white vehicles with several items loaded in the back were seen.
Officials also said the suspect also spent time around Westminster in Orange County.
“If convicted as charged, Garcia faces a potential sentence of life in prison,” the CBS report added.
Some of the victims and the suspect resided outside of the Coachella Valley, therefore, investigators have asked citizens with information about him or if they have also been a victim to call Sr. DA Investigator Claudia Herrrera at (760) 863-7809 or send an email to [email protected].
