A fugitive convicted rapist has been identified as the man who attacked two teenage girls in Bakersfield in the last two weeks, according to local law enforcement.
The Sheriff’s Department said German Baeza, 26, used a social networking site to meet a 15-year-old girl and convince her to meet him at a fast food restaurant. According to detectives, he kidnapped her from the restaurant on July 20, took her to an orchard, and raped her.
Police said three days earlier, Baeza tried to abduct a 14-year-old girl from a Bakersfield alley. The girl got away and was able to help detectives create a sketch of the man.
Sheriff’s detectives compared the social networking photo to the drawing and identified the suspect as Baeza.
Authorities didn’t have to look far to find him. He was in the Kern County Jail after being arrested on a parole violation.
"On July 5, 2010, he cut off his ankle monitor and absconded from his parole," the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement. "His prior offense was rape as well. He was located and arrested for the parole warrant only on July 22.”
On Friday, police and sheriffs deputies added 16 felonies to the charges against him.
Sheriff's deputies refused to identify the social networking site Baeza used.
The investigation included agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Kern County Sheriff's Office. Both agencies are part of the Fresno County Sheriff's Department task force called ICAC - Internet Crimes Against Children.
ICAC Task Force helps coordinate communications and resources between multiple law enforcement agencies in an effort to bring justice to those who use the internet to commit crimes against children.
