El Cajon
An man believed responsible for a series of East County rapes since 1983 pleaded innocent Wednesday to sexually assaulting 10 women.
San Diego Municipal Judge Lillian Quon ordered Carlos Antonie Hinojosa, 30, a diesel mechanic, to be held without bail in County Jail at the recommendation by the prosecutor, John Massucco.
Hinojosa was charged with 7 counts of rape, 2 counts of assault with intent to commit rape, 1 count of performing lewd and lascivious acts, 1 count of assault with a deadly weapon and 10 counts of burglary by entering each victim’s home.
Quon set a bail review for Monday and a preliminary hearing for Sept. 30.
“The evidence is strong. We have fingerprint evidence,” Massucco said in court.
“We have a defendant who has suffered a 1978 conviction for rape,” said Massucco, who later added that the conviction was in Orange County.
The prosecutor said most of the East County rapes occured in 1985, although one occurred in 1983 and several in 1984.
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