Rape Evidence Sifted as Prosecutors Worry That Police Moved Too Soon

Detectives in seven Orange County cities were gathering evidence Wednesday in an effort to link a Temecula ex-con to more than 80 Orange County burglaries and sex crimes, including about 15 rapes.

But prosecutors questioned whether Santa Ana police detectives prematurely announced this week that Kenneth G. Wade, 45, was a suspect in so many unsolved crimes without waiting for all the evidence.

“I think Santa Ana might have jumped the gun,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Ted Burnett said. “I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to tie in all these cases.”

Supervising Deputy Dist. Atty. Charles J. Middleton, who directs the office’s sexual assault and child abuse unit, also said there is a possibility that police may have spoken too soon.

“But one of the benefits of going public . . . is allowing the public and any possible victims to feel safe about coming forward,” Middleton said. “If the public doesn’t have the information that he’s a prolific sexual offender they may not be able to make the connection between their own victimization and what he’s done.”

Santa Ana police officials, who are leading the investigation, and detectives in other cities, however, said they already have a strong case against Wade, including a wealth of victim statements, witness identification from photo lineups and crime scene evidence that includes blood-type matches to the suspect, taken from semen samples.

Police this week identified Wade as a suspect in a series of sex crimes and burglaries dating back to 1987 in Anaheim, Santa Ana, Orange and other cities.

Investigators allege that the Temecula pool hall manager is the same man who stalked women across Orange County for eight years, entering their homes through unlocked doors, exposing himself, leaving sexually explicit notes and sometimes returning later to commit rape.

Wade was arrested last week in connection with three recent attacks and is being held on charges of rape, rape with a foreign object, attempted rape, burglary and indecent exposure. Although Wade has been convicted of crimes several times, Middleton said, he may not qualify for prosecution under the “three strikes and you’re out” law because only one of the offenses was considered serious.

Wade’s lawyer did not return repeated calls for comment Wednesday.

Police in Anaheim and Fullerton have identified Wade as a suspect in five rapes in each of those cities. Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters said his department had enough evidence to link Wade to 24 crimes in his city, two of them rapes. But he added, “The D.A. is looking for a different level of proof than we would be.”

Police from several cities had staked out areas the prowler had targeted since the late 1980s, but he ducked them every time.

“It’s been very frustrating,” said Anaheim Detective Ron Drvol, who has worked on the cases since 1987. “So many people will have to deal with this for the rest of their lives.”

Investigators said they mostly relied on similarities between cases rather than a clear pattern to determine that 86 cases might be tied to one person.

Communication between departments was also a key. If not for meetings coordinated by Santa Ana police a year ago, “the initial cases would have fallen through the cracks,” Drvol said.

“We feel very comfortable that we have the right guy,” he said. “But anything can happen. We thought we had the guy before, but it didn’t turn out to be the right guy.”

In the late 1980s, Anaheim officers arrested a man they thought was responsible for the attacks, which at that time numbered 20 to 25 in five cities and in unincorporated areas.

“After we arrested him, there was a lapse in cases,” Drvol said “Initially, we felt we had the guy. But then we noticed that other cities were still experiencing problems.”

Further forensic testing eliminated the man as a suspect and charges were dropped, he said. “We have a stronger case this time,” Drvol said.

Residents in a Santa Ana neighborhood where the intruder struck several times during the past year remained cautious.

A Santa Ana man who had seen a naked man peeking through his window said, “I’m glad that the guy may have been caught.”

Rhonda LaFlamme, manager of Sycamore Terrace Apartments in Temecula, said Wade moved into his two-bedroom apartment there June 17. “He had a clean credit record, good rental history and solid employment history, so [the former manager] approved his application,” she said. “We don’t ask on our rental application if you’re a serial rapist. Everyone thought he was the nicest guy.”