VENTURA : Man to Face Trial in 3 Sexual Assaults
A judge Friday ruled that enough evidence exists to make Peter A. Stocks stand trial for a string of sexual assaults of three elderly women in east Ventura and Ojai this summer.
Ventura County Municipal Court Judge Thomas J. Hutchins said Stocks will have to stand trial on 17 counts of rape, sexual assault, burglary and other charges. If convicted of all counts, Stocks could be sentenced to prison for life, Deputy Dist. Atty. Patricia Kelleher said.
“This is every woman’s worst nightmare, somebody assaulting them while they sleep, “ Kelleher said.
Stocks is accused of breaking into the homes of three senior citizens while they slept and sexually assaulting them. One of the victims, an 89-year-old Ojai woman, testified at the preliminary hearing that she was tied to her bed and assaulted by a man in August.
Kelleher said they were led to Stocks, 38, by someone who knew him and said he matched the description of the suspect.
Stocks is scheduled to enter a plea in Superior Court on Nov. 3. He remained jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
