A North Bay man wanted in the 2002 rape and kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl was arrested after DNA linked him to the crime, authorities said Monday.
Juan Lopes, 39, of Santa Rosa was in custody for public intoxication last month when he was linked to the assault on the teenager and held on $500,000 bail, Sonoma County sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia said.
Lopes had been identified as the suspect soon after the teen was grabbed while walking along a road, dragged into a field and raped.
She broke away but was chased down and raped again. Eventually, she freed herself again and hid in an unlocked vehicle, found a phone and called for help.
Authorities believe Lopes fled to Mexico before he could be arrested, Valencia said.
An arrest warrant was issued and in September Madera County authorities reported that Lopes was in custody.
Valencia said no attorney is listed for Lopes. The public defender’s office said it did not represent him.
