Napa man charged on suspicion of rape, molestation of girl

The 39-year-old defendant was arrested shortly before 4:55 p.m. Friday in Napa, after the girl — whose mother was the man’s girlfriend for eight years — said he had sexually assaulted her the previous day, according to a Napa Police arrest form. He was booked into the Napa County jail and is being held on $1 million bail.

Although the suspect is not related to the accuser by blood, the Napa Valley Register is not identifying him to avoid identifying the accuser. Court records state he “was like a father” to the girl, due to his long relationship with her mother.

A complaint filed Tuesday by the Napa County District Attorney’s Office charges the man with rape, along with five counts of lewd acts on a minor. Those counts are connected to two incidents in 2023 when he allegedly molested the girl, according to the complaint.

On March 7, the man helped the girl skip school and then took her to his home, where he fondled and then raped her as she said “no” during the assault, the police arrest report states.

Afterward, the girl told police of incidents two weeks apart in 2023 in which the man fondled her both over and under her clothing, police said in their report. Officers served a search warrant on the man’s home March 8 and arrested him.

Convictions could result in sentences of 15 years to life in state prison on the rape charge, and three to eight years on the other sexual abuse counts, Deputy District Attorney Kristen Orlando said in the complaint. Prosecutors also sought enhancements of the charges on the grounds of cruelty, the victim’s vulnerability, and the abuse of a position of trust, among other factors.