Gardener Given 18 Years in Kidnap-Rape
A 25-year-old Canoga Park man has been sentenced in Van Nuys Superior Court to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to the Feb. 19, 1985, kidnaping and rape of a woman who was abducted while walking home from work.
The victim told police that she had completed her shift at a Canoga Park bar about 2:30 a.m. when two men grabbed her, pulled her into a van and drove her to a site near Topanga Canyon Boulevard and the Simi Valley Freeway. She said she was raped by both men before she was able to flee and hide in tall bushes.
Pedro Mesa, a gardener, pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 18. His co-defendant, identified as Martin Rodriguez, is believed to be hiding in Mexico, Los Angeles police said.
Mesa will be eligible for parole after serving about 12 years.
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