Sexual Assault Suspect Captured In Palm Desert: RSO

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — A sexual assault suspect who was sought in Coachella Valley has been captured.

Linnell Letice Wilson, 21, of Palm Desert was arrested Sunday, Aug. 25, near the 73000 block of Country Club Drive in Palm Desert, according to an update from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio without bail on suspicion of multiple felony sexual assault charges and robbery, according to inmate records. He is expected to make an initial court appearance Sept. 9.

The investigation into alleged incidents later linked to Wilson began shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, when a victim was followed to her apartment in the 78000 block of Avenue 42 in Bermuda Dunes by a masked, shirtless man.

The suspect approached the victim but was scared off when she screamed, the sheriff's department said.

The man took off through the apartment complex and got away, though investigators obtained video surveillance footage of him.

Then, at about 10:27 a.m. the same day, deputies received a report of a sexual assault near Adams and Dune Lake streets in Bermuda Dunes.

The victim told deputies she was sexually attacked in the area between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. The suspect, whose description matched the earlier incident, was wearing a black ski mask, according to the sheriff's department.

"Deputies believe the male described by the victims was the same suspect in both incidents," the sheriff's department said.

Deputies continued to investigate, and after receiving information that assisted in identifying the suspect, deputies located and arrested Wilson, according to the sheriff's department.

Wilson had been released from prison approximately a month ago, 11 months into a two-and-a-half-year sentence, according to the updated sheriff's department statement. His criminal history includes prior felony convictions for robbery, carjacking and weapons charges, the agency said.

Anyone with additional information regarding the investigation was asked to contact Investigator Perez of the Thermal Sheriff's Station at 760-341-7867.