Ex-Policeman Held in Rape of Irvine Girl, 11 : Crime: Prosecutors say a former Beverly Hills officer stalked the victim then posed as a deliveryman to enter her home, where the attack occurred.

Prosecutors said Thursday that they believe an ex-Beverly Hills police officer used his training to stalk an 11-year-old Irvine girl, then posed as a deliveryman to gain entry into her home when she was alone and raped her at knifepoint.

“This is far more frightening than your average rape,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Ariadne Symons, who prosecutes sex crimes. “This man obviously stalked the child, chose her for whatever reason to be his victim, waited for her to be alone and planned the crime in what he thought would be the most undetectable way.”

Steven Rush McCoy, 36, was being held on $250,000 bail in Orange County Jail on six felony counts that include rape, sexual assault and burglary, authorities said.

The attack occurred Monday. McCoy is to be arraigned April 6.

Jail records show that just six days before the incident, McCoy was released on his own recognizance from Orange County Jail after five days in custody on charges of burglary, grand theft, forgery and possession of forged notes.

According to police, the victim in the rape was home sick from school Monday afternoon when the attacker, posing as a deliveryman, persuaded her to open the door to receive a package, police said.

Investigators said the girl called 911 after her attacker left and picked McCoy out of a photo lineup.

The victim and her family live in the same quiet, UC Irvine housing complex as does McCoy, who worked as a broker at Drexel Burnham Lambert until last year and recently moved to Irvine from Dana Point. The girl’s parents told investigators that they had never seen McCoy before, police said.

Investigators, however, said they believe that McCoy “targeted” the girl.

“He wasn’t going from door to door,” said Sgt. Phil Povey, who heads investigations at the Irvine Police Department. “He went to that one apartment. But we can’t explain why. I can’t get inside this guy’s head, and he’s not doing a lot of talking. So he’s not making our job real easy.”

Symons said the assailant raped the girl at knifepoint on a bedsheet, then took the sheet with him so as not to leave evidence behind.

“It’s obvious that his police training had a lot to do with it,” Symons said, “because most people don’t know enough about forensic evidence . . . to do what he did.”

Investigators found a black-handled knife in a rubbish can at the victim’s home. The knife matched a knife described by McCoy’s recent roommate, John Estrela, as belonging to McCoy, according to police. Investigators also found a package that they believe the attacker used as a ruse to persuade the victim that he was a deliveryman.

Also, during a search of McCoy’s apartment, police said they found evidence that connects him with the rape, including clothes belonging to the victim and a stained sheet believed to be from the attack.

Stirring particular interest among prosecutors is a book allegedly found at the apartment: “How to Assert an Insanity Defense.”

Barry Simons, the attorney representing McCoy, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Estrela--McCoy’s former roommate--and others who know him said McCoy talked about having psychiatric problems.

Michael Nader, manager of Irvine Yellow Cab, which had done business with McCoy, said one of his cabbies and McCoy got into a scuffle a few weeks ago over an unpaid bill.

“McCoy was just off the wall--a crazy man,” Nader said. “He’d be very nice one minute and then just uncontrollable the next.”

A former business associate, who asked not to be named, said he had recently seen McCoy on a national TV show talking about a sleeping pill that he said had caused him psychological damage. And a relative of Estrela showed a reporter at the apartment a bottle of anti-depression pills that had McCoy’s name on it.

McCoy worked for two years in the Beverly Hills Police Department, first as a reserve officer. He was hired as a full-time patrol officer in January, 1978, but was let go that August while still in his probation period. Department officials refused to say why he was dismissed.

After his police service, acquaintances and business associates said, McCoy worked for several investment firms as a broker. Records on file with the National Assn. of Security Dealers in Washington show that McCoy has not been registered as a dealer since he left Drexel in June, 1989.

He was married in 1982 and reportedly lived in Dana Point with his wife and two children until a divorce several years ago, according to friends and police.

Police said McCoy told them he was a self-employed private consultant in foreign investment. His current financial situation, however, remains unknown.

Several business associates said they understood from McCoy that he continued to get substantial income from a trust fund established by a former employer. Associates added, however, that while McCoy liked to talk about his wealth, they suspected such money may have been an illusion.

Estrela said McCoy tried to “stick” him with bills several times and never seemed to have any money.

Estrela moved into McCoy’s apartment less than a month ago after the two met on a taxi ride. Estrela had been working as a cabbie at Irvine Yellow Cab for just a week when he was called to McCoy’s apartment for what he thought would be a trip to Arcadia. But the ride didn’t stop there. Estrela said McCoy had him drive to Disneyland, Chinatown in Los Angeles and ultimately through Las Vegas and Arizona.

The two became friendly on the trip, Estrela said, and he later moved in with McCoy.

They lived for part of the time with a teen-age runaway whom Estrela had befriended, the former roommate said.

Estrela said he did not see much of McCoy on the day of the rape. However, he said, he does not believe his ex-roommate is guilty.

“He’s stupid, but he’s not that stupid,” Estrela said.

Staff writers Jim Carlton, Davan Maharaj and Wendy Paulson contributed to this report.