Two Long Beach men plead not guilty in Huntington Beach kidnapping, sexual assault

Two Long Beach men who stand accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in Huntington Beach pleaded not guilty to all charges at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on Wednesday.

Florentino Contreras Bacilio, 47, and Angel Lopez Evaristo, 30, stand accused of one felony count of kidnapping to commit rape, one felony count of sodomy and two felony counts of forcible sexual penetration by a foreign object, according to court records.

Prosecutors said the 27-year-old female victim was walking home from downtown Huntington Beach just before midnight on June 6. It is alleged that Bacilio and Evaristo stopped their vehicle and kidnapped the woman.

The two are accused of gagging, choking and sexually assaulting the woman who then lost consciousness.

The men later threw the woman out of the vehicle on Pacific Coast Highway after she regained consciousness and continued fighting back, the prosecutors allege. She then flagged down a passing motorist who called the Huntington Beach Police Department.

The victim was taken to a nearby trauma center, where she was treated for numerous injuries sustained during the attack.

Police said last month in a release that the investigation began with minimal leads, but eventually led to Bacilio and Evaristo in Long Beach and they were arrested on June 9.

Police also said there was no existing relationship between either of the suspects to the victim and there were no other outstanding suspects at the time.

Jail records indicate that both Bacilio and Evaristo remain in custody, with both currently held on a bail of $1 million each.

“Being grabbed off the street, gagged, and sexually assaulted is the stuff nightmares are made of,” Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said in a statement issued on June 11.

“That nightmare became reality for this victim and thankfully, by the grace of God, she survived. No woman should have to live in fear that a walk home would result in the horror she was forced to endure.”

The accused men are expected to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 8 at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

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