Transient Arrested In Fremont Home Invasion, Sexual Assault Of Child
FREMONT (CBS SF) – A 30-year-old transient from Hayward who had multiple arrest warrants, including one for sexually assaulting a small child, has been arrested for a daytime home invasion robbery in Fremont, police said Thursday.
When a 29-year-old Fremont man returned to his home in 35900 block of Magellan Drive around 3 p.m. on Monday he saw a strange car backed into his driveway, took note of the car's license plate and spotted two men peering into the front door of his home, according to police.
The two suspects approached the resident, grabbed him, brandished a firearm with an extended magazine, dragged him inside his home and demanded money and marijuana, which they believed were inside the home, police said.
Once inside, the suspects encountered a 64-year-old woman, ordered her to the ground, pushed her onto the floor and continued to yell at the two residents, demanding money and marijuana, according to police.
The male resident fought with the suspects over the gun and during the struggle he was pistol-whipped in his head, causing a head injury that was significant but didn't threaten his life, police said.
One of the suspects, later identified as Alexander Rhodes, put the male resident in a chokehold and continued to ask for money and marijuana, according to police.
The male victim eventually was able to break free from the chokehold and run outside and call 911.
Multiple Fremont police officers who responded to the alleged home invasion found several live rounds of ammunition on the floor inside the residence and police said they believe the rounds were released from the suspect's firearm during the struggle.
Detectives determined the suspects' car's license plate was registered to a residence in Kerman in Fresno County and through additional investigation they learned that Rhodes was connected to the vehicle, according to police.
Rhodes was also connected to the alleged home-invasion robbery through license plate reader cameras and positive identification by the victims.
Investigators also learned that Rhodes had three active felony warrants for his arrest stemming from separate alleged offenses, including robbery, burglary and the sexual assault of a small child.
The sexual assault case was an active investigation by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, which held a $1 million warrant for Rhodes' arrest.
Detectives from the Fremont Police Department and the sheriff's office worked together to locate and arrest Rhodes and on Wednesday they found the car associated with the alleged armed robbery in Fremont parked in Hayward.
Authorities set up surveillance on the car and saw Rhodes get into it and drive away. Officers followed him to San Francisco, where he was arrested without incident later on Wednesday, police said.
Rhodes provided a statement indicating his involvement with the Fremont home invasion robbery and the sexual assault when he was interviewed by Fremont police and sheriff's detectives, according to police.
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office already has filed charges against Rhodes for the alleged sexual assault of a small child and on Friday it will decide whether to file charges against him for the alleged home invasion robbery. He's tentatively scheduled to be arraigned on Friday afternoon.
Fremont police said detectives are still trying to identify the second suspect in the alleged home invasion robbery.
They describe him as a black man in his early 30s who's between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall who weighs 160 pounds.
They said he was wearing all-black clothing, including a puffy jacket and a black ski mask, and a foam sports mask which covered the area below the bridge of his nose.
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