Felon Accused of Attacking Woman In Her Riverside Apartment Arraigned

RIVERSIDE, CA — A parolee accused of forcing his way into a UC Riverside student's apartment after she opened the door during a fire alarm and attempting to sexually assault her pleaded not guilty Thursday to assault with intent to commit rape and other charges.

Julian Jesus Madrigal, 31, a Riverside-area transient, was arrested last month following a joint investigation by the Riverside and UCR police departments .

Along with assault to commit rape, Madrigal is charged with false imprisonment, assault resulting in great bodily injury, sexual battery and presenting false identification to a peace officer.

He was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O'Rane, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for March 18 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Madrigal is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback, shortly before 8 a.m. on Jan. 20, the victim, identified in court documents only as "T.N.," was in her apartment at the University Village Towers in the 3500 block of Iowa Avenue, on the western boundary of the UCR campus, when she heard the building fire alarm sounding.

She went to her door and heard a knock, opening it to find Madrigal standing there, Railsback alleged.

He said the defendant allegedly pushed his way inside and grabbed the woman, groping her, prompting her to "fight back," at which point he snatched several of her belongings and fled the apartment.

T.N. called 911. Both Riverside police and UCR police officers went to the location.

"They conducted a search of the area and located a transient matching the suspect's description," Railsback said, adding that the itinerant, Madrigal, was "positively identified and found to be in possession of some of the victim's stolen belongings."

He was taken into custody without incident.

Court records show Madrigal has prior convictions for robbery and grand theft.

—City News Service