Boy, 15, held in sexual assault

By VERONICA ROCHA
Valley Press Staff Writer

The boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, was already on probation for another offense and was wanted in connection with an earlier home invasion robbery, officials said.

The boy lived near the woman, who had lived at her home approximately 50 years, said the Palmdale Sheriff's Station commander, Capt. Bobby Denham.

"She literally had her life invaded," Denham said.

The boy was arrested at his home about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, less than 12 hours after the crime, after fingerprints found inside the woman's home led detectives to him, the captain said.

"This is a great example of what can be done when a team works together as they did," Denham said.

The boy is being held in the custody of the juvenile probation department on suspicion of sexual assault, burglary and false imprisonment, Denham said.

The boy also will be charged with the other home invasion robbery, the captain said.

Sheriff's officials want the boy tried as an adult, Denham said. The decision is up to a judge.

The woman was accosted Wednesday morning while taking out her trash at her home, which is in a neighborhood of 1950s tract homes near 20th Street East and Palmdale Boulevard.

The woman told deputies a teenage boy pointed a large knife at her and pulled her inside her home, the captain said.

The teen pulled the woman around her home looking for valuables and cash, taking a can with "some change in it," the captain said.

He forced the woman into a rear room and sexually assaulted her, Denham said.

The teen told the woman if she said anything about the assault, he would come back to her home and look for her, the captain said.

He then locked the woman inside her pantry, placed a chair in front of the door and fled.

The woman struggled to open the door about 20 minutes, finally escaping and calling her family and sheriff's deputies.

As detectives looked around the home, they discovered the boy had touched several items inside the home and "looked for every clue," Denham said.

Detectives called a criminalist, who dusted the items and pulled fingerprints.

The fingerprints were taken to the Lancaster Sheriff's Station Crime Laboratory, where sheriff's officials matched the prints to the 15-year-old boy.

The prints were matched in less than two hours, Deputy Dave Jennings said.

Detectives and deputies found the boy and arrested him late Wednesday. During an interview with detectives, the boy admitted to sexually assaulting the woman and burglarizing her home, Denham said.

The woman was able to pick the boy out of six photos she was shown by detectives.

"It took her two seconds to say, 'That's the guy,' " Jennings said.

vrocha@avpress.com