A detective with the Sheriff’s Department’s Special Victims Unit confirmed Tuesday a suspect sought on suspicion of rape has been wanted since September.
On Aug. 31, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies investigated a report of an 18-year-old victim who bit a family member’s penis after he tried to force her to perform oral sex on him in a Newhall apartment on Valle Del Oro, according to court records obtained by The Signal.
The suspect, a 52-year-old Newhall resident, allegedly sexually assaulted the victim for years either when the two were alone or after other family members went to bed, according to documents.
After the assault in August, the victim ran to her mother’s room and told her what had happened. The suspect responded by begging them not to call 911, which they did as soon as the suspect fled the apartment.
During the course of their investigation into the Aug. 31 incident, SCV deputies later learned the abuse started back in 2014, when the victim was around 11 years old, according to court records.
The victim reported that the suspect threatened harm to her and her family if she told anyone about what happened. The victim stated that several pregnancy scares over the years pushed her to the point of reporting the suspect, according to court records.
Detectives with the Special Victims Unit have sought the suspect, Jose Gabriel Sanchez-Alarid, 52, of Newhall, whose occupation is listed as a self-employed handyman, since Sept. 14, according to officials.
Charges have been presented to the District Attorney’s Office, but they have not been filed, pending the suspect’s arrest.
