Police: PB Peeping Tom Arrested
February 27, 2007 No Comments02/27/07, Channel10.com
Resident Assisted In Arrest By Providing Photograph
SAN DIEGO — An alleged illegal immigrant suspected in a spree of Peeping Tom incidents and sex assaults in Pacific Beach was under arrest Friday.
Eduardo Castillo Herrarte, 33, surrendered to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents about 4 p.m. Thursday near his Lemon Grove home, according to San Diego police.
The arrest came a week after authorities released a composite rendering of the perpetrator in the series of at least 10 crimes in the coastal community south of La Jolla.
Last Friday, a resident who had reported seeing a peeper in the area in 2005 came forward again with a photograph of the man, believing he resembled the new suspect sketch she’d seen on the news, SDPD Capt. Boyd Long said.The woman said she had seen the same stranger in the area as recently as two months ago, the captain told reporters.
Detectives also suspected the person in the snapshot was Herrarte, who had been interrogated two years earlier but was released for lack of evidence. Police then got in touch with immigration officials, who assisted by detaining Herrarte — who has been deported at least twice — on Wednesday and taking a photo of him for identification in the sex-crimes cases, Long said.
Following his arrest the next afternoon, the Guatemala native, a landscaper who has worked in Pacific Beach for years, made statements that incriminated him in the crimes, police said. Eight of the offenses in the 10-month series involved peeping through residential windows. In two other cases, the perpetrator entered homes and “had physical contact” with the victims, Long said, declining to elaborate.
City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, who represents the district, praised the police, the public and the local news media for the “hand-in-hand” cooperation that led to the break in the case. “The apprehension means a great deal to the residents and the neighbors of our Pacific Beach community, who have been very concerned about this,” he said during a midday briefing at downtown SDPD headquarters.
Herrarte will be held at Metropolitan Correctional Center on an immigration hold while the district attorney’s office prepares criminal charges against him, Long said.
Original Story
Police seek suspect in series of sexual assaults
2-22-07, Beach and Bay Press
San Diego police are seeking a suspect wanted in a series of sexual assaults and peeping incidents. According to police, the suspect is linked to at least 10 incidents going back to April 2006.
Most of the crimes occurred south of Grand Avenue and west of Ingraham Street between the hours of 5 a.m. and noon.
A police announcement said the suspect has entered victims’ homes through unlocked doors and windows.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic male between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 130 to 160 pounds. Victims said he has black hair, usually pulled back into a ponytail, possibly with a thin mustache or goatee and may have a large blemish or mole on his right check. He has been seen wearing a dark colored baseball hat, blue jeans and work boots.
On April 17, a suspect matching the description entered a home on the 3900 block of Ingraham through an unlocked back door while the victim was napping. A police report said the victim woke up to find the suspect allegedly pushing a pillow down on her head. She shoved the male, causing him to flee. The victim suffered minor injuries that did not require treatment.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. All tips can remain anonymous, and callers may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
