Pomona Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Waiting Inside Hotel Room, Then Sexually Assaulting Woman Who Checked In
ONTARIO (CBSLA.com) — Police on Tuesday said they arrested a man suspected of waiting inside an Ontario hotel room for a woman to enter Monday evening, then attacking and robbing the woman before fleeing.
The Ontario Police Department responded to a Doubletree Hotel about 5:45 p.m. Monday to investigate a reported sexual assault.
Hotel staff said they found a female guest who had been attacked. The 63-year-old victim told police that she had just checked into her room when she was attacked by a man waiting inside.
The man tied up and sexually assaulted the victim, police said, before robbing her of several items and fleeing.
Investigators with the help of hotel security personnel identified the suspect as Clifford Brown, 31, of Pomona.
Detectives obtained a felony warrant for Brown's arrest and a "wanted" flier with a photo of Brown was distributed to Ontario patrol officers and surrounding agencies.
About six hours later, an Ontario patrol officer saw Brown in the 1200 block of east Holt Boulevard near Grove Avenue. Brown was arrested and booked on suspicion of robbery, burglary, false imprisonment and sexual assault-related charges.
Brown is being held on bail of $1 million.
Investigators are trying to determine how Brown gained access to the hotel room. He was not a hotel guest, nor was he an employee of the hotel, police said.
Brown, a transient, had previously been arrested for trespassing on the hotel's property. He has an extensive interstate criminal record, police said, including weapons and assault charges.
Authorities are encouraging anyone with information on this or similar crimes to call the Ontario Police Department at (909) 395-2923.
