Suspected O.C. Serial Rapist Pleads Guilty

A pool hall manager accused of terrorizing Orange County neighborhoods for nearly a decade with an assortment of violent sex crimes was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison Friday after pleading guilty to 13 felonies.

Kenneth G. Wade, 45, of Temecula entered the surprise plea before Orange County Municipal Court Judge Richard W. Stanford Jr.

Although he was charged with only one rape, law enforcement officials had sought to link him to as many as 15 sexual assaults. They alleged that Wade was a serial rapist who had victimized women throughout the county--particularly in Santa Ana and Orange--since 1986.

“It’s pretty clear from our point of view that he is a violent individual who committed a whole series of sex crimes,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan McNerney, the prosecutor on the case. “Many of those crimes were directed at women who lived in particular neighborhoods. They had reason to be fearful. Now they have a reason to feel a little bit safer.”

Wade, who was arrested in July after he allegedly tried to rape a woman and expose himself to another in Anaheim, will be eligible for parole in 43 years.

“He’ll be an old man in his mid-90s before he gets out,” said Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi, who praised the work of law enforcement officials in putting together the case against Wade. “It will be a real struggle for [Wade] to walk out of prison” at that age.

Because he was a so-called “three strikes” offender, Wade faced the same sentence whether he entered a guilty plea or was convicted by a jury. He had prior convictions for burglary and robbery. His plea saved taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in trial costs and spared victims from having to testify.

“I can’t tell you what motivated him [to plead guilty],” McNerney said. “When it comes to guys who do these types of crimes, nothing surprises me. I assume the reason he pleaded guilty is because he is guilty. Why fight the inevitable?”

Wade’s attorney, Donald T. Barkemeyer, could not be reached for comment.

The 13 felonies Wade to which pleaded guilty spanned a two-year period and involved eight victims, McNerney said. The rape charge stemmed from an August, 1994, assault in Santa Ana in which he was also charged with a single count of penetration with a foreign object. The other counts included nine burglaries, a vehicle theft and felony evasion of arrest.

According to police, Wade’s criminal activities were far more extensive.

Investigators alleged that Wade stalked women across Orange County for eight years, entering their homes through unlocked doors, exposing himself, leaving sexually explicit notes, masturbating in front of them and sometimes returning later to rape them.

“He even lectured them on home security,” said Orange Police Chief John R. Robertson, who expressed satisfaction with the case’s outcome.

The victims, investigators alleged, ranged from a 12-year-old girl to women in their late 40s. The attacks, which date to 1986, stopped abruptly from 1989 to 1993--a period that coincided with Wade’s incarceration for burglary.

Although Wade was linked to a number of crimes since the mid-1980s, he wasn’t charged with all the incidents because either the statute of limitations had expired, evidence was weak or they were misdemeanor crimes, McNerney said.

Police said most of Wade’s alleged assaults occurred in a neighborhood near Tustin Avenue and 17th Street in Santa Ana and a residential area in Orange known as Cottonwood. Authorities in Orange had dubbed the attacker the “Cottonwood Pervert.”

During the attacker’s crime spree earlier this year, pink flyers were distributed along Cottonwood Street, warning residents that a flasher had crept into at the homes of at least 10 women.

“He had broken into three or four of the homes here,” said Kathleen Brecker, who lives in the Smoketree Condominiums on Cottonwood Street. “I heard he entered someone’s home, he took a picture of himself naked and left it on their living room sofa. After the news of these intrusions, residents were talking about putting security fences around our driveways.”

News of a local stalker prompted neighbors to be extra cautious, to lock doors when home alone and even when they went to throw out their trash.

“I didn’t leave the doors and windows open even when I went to my mailbox,” said Orange resident Audrey Carrier. She added that the news of a serial sex offender persuaded her to buy a watchdog.

“I’m very glad to hear that they’ve caught him and he’s the right person,” she added.

Robertson shared the same relief, saying he thought the sentence was appropriate.

“It’s a fair sentence,” he said. “He was involved in some rapes, and this is extremely traumatic to the victims. Sixty years is a lengthy sentence. I think the victims will be satisfied that he will serve time and they didn’t have to stand trial.

“I’m glad they dealt with this swiftly for the victims’ peace of mind. Their healing starts after the conviction. Now the victims can get on with their lives.”