Police: Mark Thompson Hunter Of Hemet Identified Through DNA In 1999 Escondido Rape Of 19-Year-Old Woman
ESCONDIDO (CBSLA) — A Hemet man is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday in the 1999 rape of a teenage girl in Escondido.
An arrest warrant for rape and kidnapping was issued last week for 64-year-old Mark Thompson Hunter, who was arrested by the U.S. Marshal's San Diego Fugitive Task Force on Tuesday. He was taken to the Escondido Police Department for processing and later booked into Vista Detention Facility.
Escondido police say DNA from the original crime led to Hunter's identification in the Feb. 17, 1999 kidnapping and rape. The 19-year-old woman told police a man had approached her at an AM/PM on Grand Avenue, south of Rose Street, and asked for directions to the Super 7 motel in Escondido. She agreed to lead him to the motel, driving in her own car, according to police.
But in the area of Valley Parkway and Fig Street, the suspect motioned for her to pull over at a parking lot, police said. When she approached his vehicle, Escondido police say the man pulled her into the van and drove her to another location, where she was sexually assaulted. The man then drove her back to her vehicle, let her go, and took off.
At the time of the crime, a suspect was not identified, but Escondido police detectives continued to investigate, eventually working with the FBI.
Anyone with further information about this crime can contact the Escondido Police Department at (760) 839-4722 or Detective Pat Hand at (760) 839-4985.