Man, 62, Held in Series of Rapes in 3 Counties

A 62-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting and raping women in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, authorities announced Friday.

Edward Michael Adams could be charged with rape, kidnapping with intent to commit rape, five counts of forced oral copulation and two counts of lewd acts with a minor, authorities said. He was arrested Wednesday in Corona and is being held in Riverside on $20-million bail.

Corona police said Adams may have attacked females between the ages of 17 and 40 in Fullerton, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Corona and Ontario.

In the most recent incident, police said, the suspect befriended a woman who worked at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and arranged to meet her July 29 in a mall parking lot. When she arrived, the man brandished a weapon and forced the woman to drive him to a Santa Ana motel, where he raped her, Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Martin Carver said.

Adams was arrested after authorities found his fingerprints inside one of the victim’s cars, Corona Police Sgt. Jerry Rodriguez said.

In June, Adams allegedly called an employee at a rental car company and identified himself as the company CEO. He told the employee to pick up a client, with whom he had a pending business deal, at a Home Depot in Corona. When the employee arrived Adams assaulted her, Rodriquez said.