Suspected Rapist Accused Of Stealing Items From Oakdale Police
OAKDALE (CBS13) -- Police raided a suspected rapist's home and uncovered evidence they say shows the suspect raided police.
Yuri Pearson worked for the city of Oakdale as an equipment operator. As part of his job, he worked inside the police department, gaining access to chemical agents.
"It's filthy. It's dirty what he did. It's filthy," said the woman accusing Pearson of attempted rape. "He told me I was going to die and he went into the house and he got a loaded handgun," she said.
And that's when police arrived to help her. He's now bailed out of jail and on the run, facing new charges. Investigators served a search warrant on his residence and say they found 18 weapons loaded on his property and within the reach of children -- and that's just the beginning. Detectives also found a stash of weapons and tools allegedly taken from an Oakdale police locker including body armor, a raid vest, a nylon officer duty belt, a launchable pepper spray grenade and even a chemical agent riot grenade used in crowd control. All of the items were left over and apparently forgotten after the city dismantled the SWAT team three years ago.
The Oakdale police chief says Pearson gained access to the locker during a remodeling project at the department, but it wasn't until deputies searched Pearson's property that they learned their property was missing.
"I would have never suspected anything like that. It just didn't ring true to me. It's like I'm reading about somebody else," said Leonard Turner, one of Pearson's neighbors.
But the woman he's accused of raping had no idea what investigators would find on his property.
"I don't know what to think. I'm shocked," she said.
As of right now, Pearson is not in custody and authorities believe he may have more chemical agents. Anyone with information is asked to call the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.
Pearson is no longer employed with the city of Oakdale. The chief says he can't comment on it because it's a personnel matter unrelated to this case.
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