Sex Offender Arrested For Attempted Rape Of 10-Year-Old Girl At San Mateo Laundromat
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- A high-risk sex offender was arrested after the attempted rape of a 10-year-old girl at a San Mateo laundromat, with the girl managing to break away from the suspect before being physically harmed, authorities said.
San Mateo police said the incident happened Wednesday morning at the Mas Wash and Dry Laundromat at 364 N. Ellsworth Ave. Two sisters, 10 and 12 years old, had ridden their bicycles to the laundromat at around 10:45 a.m. and while the older sister was locking up the bikes, the 10-year-old walked inside to get change from the coin machine.
While at the machine, the suspect - identified as 46-year-old transient Ignacio Rosendo Martinez - walked up behind the girl, pulled down his pants and put her in a bear-hug while thrusting his pelvis against her backside for about 25 seconds, police said. The suspect then tried to drag the girl into a back room but she was able to escape his tight grip and ran crying to her sister outside, police said.
The attack was captured on security camera video which police used to confirm the incident and identify Martinez from previous contacts.
The girls raced home and told their mother what happened and she called police. Officers who responded were not immediately able to find the suspect. About three hours later, police were called to a nearby apartment complex on a report of a trespasser on the premises. He was found in the boiler room, police said, and positively identified as the man who assaulted the girl at the laundromat.
Martinez was arrested and taken to the San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City. He faces a litany of charges including attempted rape, assault to commit rape, attempted kidnapping, lewd acts by force willful cruelty to a child and failing to register as a sex offender, among other charges. He was also in violation of parole and had a warrant from an outside agency, police said.
Martinez is listed on the California Department of Justice/Megan Law website as a high-risk sex offender. Police urged anyone who has been victimized or knows anyone victimized by him to contact the San Mateo Police Department at (650) 522-7700. Anonymous tips can be submitted to http://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or by calling (650) 522-7676.