Jose Guadalupe Jimenez works as a professional clown, named "Tin Larin." (Fullerton Police Dept. / March 25, 2011) |
NEWPORT BEACH (KTLA) -- Prosecutors filed additional charges on Monday against a party clown accused of raping a 12-year-old girl more than 9 years ago.
Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, 41, was charged with two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, one felony count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one felony count of committing a forcible lewd act on a child under 14, prosecutors said.
He was arrested Friday morning in Newport Beach.
Detectives say a DNA match linked Jimenez to the kidnapping and rape of a 12-year-old girl, which happened on Jan. 19, 2002.
Jimenez grabbed the girl from behind at the corner of Lemon and Commonwealth in Fullerton and drove her to a nearby school parking lot, where he raped her, Fullerton police say Jimenez later took the girl to a motel off Harbor Boulevard, where he molested her again.
The girl escaped when Jimenez left the car to talk to a motel clerk.
She told police her attacker was a Hispanic male, and was wearing a clown mask and clown make-up.
Investigators collected DNA evidence from the girl at the time and entered it into their system.
Jimenez was arrested in 2010, and his DNA was taken at that time.
In February 2011, police received a DNA hit from their database, linking Jimenez to the 2002 crime. They then obtained a warrant for Jimenez's arrest and took him into custody.
Police confirmed through interviews that Jimenez has worked as a professional clown for the past 9 years under the name "El Tin Larin."
Police say they found numerous costumes and masks in his home.
Jimenez is currently being held on $1 million bail at the Central Jail in Santa Ana.
Investigators believe he may have additional victims.
Jimenez has an open case for corporal injury on a child from November 2010.
That case is being prosecuted by the Anaheim City Attorney's Office.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact police at (714) 347-8794.
Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, 41, was charged with two felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, one felony count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one felony count of committing a forcible lewd act on a child under 14, prosecutors said.
He was arrested Friday morning in Newport Beach.
Detectives say a DNA match linked Jimenez to the kidnapping and rape of a 12-year-old girl, which happened on Jan. 19, 2002.
Jimenez grabbed the girl from behind at the corner of Lemon and Commonwealth in Fullerton and drove her to a nearby school parking lot, where he raped her, Fullerton police say Jimenez later took the girl to a motel off Harbor Boulevard, where he molested her again.
The girl escaped when Jimenez left the car to talk to a motel clerk.
She told police her attacker was a Hispanic male, and was wearing a clown mask and clown make-up.
Investigators collected DNA evidence from the girl at the time and entered it into their system.
Jimenez was arrested in 2010, and his DNA was taken at that time.
In February 2011, police received a DNA hit from their database, linking Jimenez to the 2002 crime. They then obtained a warrant for Jimenez's arrest and took him into custody.
Police confirmed through interviews that Jimenez has worked as a professional clown for the past 9 years under the name "El Tin Larin."
Police say they found numerous costumes and masks in his home.
Jimenez is currently being held on $1 million bail at the Central Jail in Santa Ana.
Investigators believe he may have additional victims.
Jimenez has an open case for corporal injury on a child from November 2010.
That case is being prosecuted by the Anaheim City Attorney's Office.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact police at (714) 347-8794.
