Man arrested after allegedly grabbing woman on Cambria trail and sexually assaulting her
A man who allegedly grabbed a woman from a Cambria hiking trail and sexually assaulted her has been arrested, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.
According to a news release, the woman, who is not being identified, was hiking on the Santa Rosa Creek trail south of Windsor Boulevard around noon Sunday when she was “dragged off the trail by a male suspect who was unknown to her.”
The man held her against her will and “sexually assaulted the victim over the next several hours before leaving her and fleeing the area,” according to the release.
The woman notified the SLO County Sheriff’s Office of the assault the next morning.
According to the release, detectives were able to collect DNA evidence that was processed using an ANDE Rapid DNA instrument to development a DNA profile of the suspect. It was the first time the department has used the instrument in a criminal investigation.
Detectives identified the suspect as 31-year-old Jesus Barajas Valdovinos of Cambria. Barajas Valdovinos was also positively identified by the victim.
The Sheriff’s Office then “saturated the Cambria area with both marked and unmarked patrol units while detectives continued their investigation and attempted to locate Barajas Valdovinos,” according to the release.
Detectives arrested Barajas Valdovinos in the 4000 block of Burton Drive on Friday.
Barajas Valdovinos was being held Monday morning at the San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 4:31 PM.
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