Suspect Charged in Rape of Santa Monica Jogger
Rape charges were filed in Santa Monica Superior Court on Wednesday against a 37-year-old Pasadena man in connection with the early morning assault of a woman jogger in Santa Monica in November.
The Montana Avenue rape is one of four sexual assaults in Santa Monica that a special team of Santa Monica officers and FBI agents have been investigating since last fall. The man that police have in custody is not a suspect in the other rapes, Police Chief James Butts said Wednesday.
Ernest Pettway was arrested Monday morning at his job site after the Santa Monica Police Department learned that blood samples taken from Pettway matched body fluid samples taken from the rape victim. She also picked Pettway out of a lineup.
Pettway has been charged with rape, kidnapping for the purpose of rape, digital rape, oral copulation, assault with a handgun and the use of a handgun. Police say Pettway abducted his victim in the 2400 block of Montana Avenue and raped her over the course of two hours in a nearby alley.
Police are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with the three other rapes.
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