Oxnard man arrested for rape, other sex crimes occurring from 2003 to 2020
OXNARD, Calif. - Oxnard police arrested a 40-year-old resident on Saturday for a felony no-bail warrant involving sex crimes that occurred more than a decade apart, from 2003 to 2020.
40-year-old Rodolfo Fernandez Franco faces charges for forcibly raping a woman in Oxnard in 2003, two counts of forced oral copulation occurring in Oxnard and Ventura in 2003 and one count of assault with the intent to commit rape that took place in Oxnard in 2020.
Police said three separate victims were involved in Franco's alleged crimes.
On February 16, 2003, the first victim reportedly gave Franco a ride to several locations within Oxnard before parking on the 1800 block of Brookside Street. After they parked, the victim said Franco threatened to kill her if she did not orally copulate him. Franco then reportedly strangled the victim and forced her into the vehicle's back seat where he raped her. Police said a medical exam following the rape revealed evidence of sexual assault which was collected and sent to the Ventura County Forensics Laboratory for testing. A DNA profile was then entered into the Combined DNA Index System, but a suspect was not identified.
Just days later, on February 21, 2003, police said a 34-year-old woman met Franco in Oxnard when he asked her for a ride to Ventura. The woman agreed and drove Franco to Ventura. She said eventually, she asked him to get out of the car, but Franco allegedly threatened her with a knife and forced her to orally copulate him. The woman said she was able to get out of the car and run while Franco fled the scene. This case was investigated by the Ventura Police Department.
Most recently, on December 20, 2020, a woman told police she had been sleeping on the 100 block of South C Street in Oxnard when Franco laid down next to her and began to assault and strangle her. She said she believed she was about to be raped and fought off Franco, who reportedly ran from the scene. Officers found an item at the location of the assault that they say was left by Franco. The evidence was sent to the Ventura County Forensics Lab for DNA testing. Police said the DNA found on the item matched Franco's profile.
Franco has since been arrested and booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility.
Oxnard police are continuing to investigate Franco and believe there may be more victims. Anyone with information regarding this case or a similar incident involving Franco is urged to contact Detective Michael McManama at 805-385-7662. You can also contact the Oxnard Police Department at 805-385-7600 or online at www.oxnardpd.org.
