Who Is Joseph Pineda Pimentel?
TURLOCK (CBS13) - Joseph Frank Pineda Pimentel, 37, of Manteca is behind bars, accused of raping multiple female victims in three California counties.
Sonora police say he bailed out of jail last week after being arrested on a rape charge. Authorities say all of his alleged targets were homeless women he found walking along the side of the road.
Here's what we know about his alleged crimes:
- 2020 - A Turlock woman says she was picked up by Pineda Pimentel, forced into the backseat of his van, and raped.
- June 4, 2021 - A woman in Sonora is picked up by a Hispanic male in an SUV and raped. She notifies police and DNA samples are collected via a forensic exam.
- August 31, 2021 - Sonora police are told the DNA from the June 4 incident matches that of Joseph Frank Pineda Pimentel.
- September 2, 2021 - Pineda Pimentel is stopped by police in his vehicle with a homeless woman he had just picked up. He is arrested on rape charges.
- September 3 - Pineda Pimentel bails out of jail.
- September 7, 2021 - Police arrest Pineda Pimentel at Adventists Health In Sonora where he was reportedly working as a surgical technician. He is booked into the Tuolumne County Jail on charges of rape using force and fear.
Police have Pineda Pimentel's DNA because of a 2009 investigation in which he allegedly raped a woman while overseas in the military; however, those charges were dropped because the victim was unwilling to cooperate with investigators.
It's unknown which branch of the military he served in.
He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday in Tuolumne County.
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