Crime & Safety
Temecula Man Accused Of Raping Multiple Women
"Based on the circumstances of the investigation, it appears there could be other victims who have not come forward at this time," cops say.
TEMECULA, CA —Riverside County sheriff's officials on Wednesday released a photo of a Temecula man they accuse of raping multiple people in town, encouraging any other potential victims to come forward. Mark Richard Neeley II, 36, has been charged with four counts of forcible rape.
Neeley is also charged with one count each of sodomy of a victim under duress, false imprisonment, possession of an assault rifle, carrying a firearm without a license and sentence- enhancing allegations of targeting multiple victims in sex crimes.
Neeley was arrested on Friday after his most recent sexual attack and an investigation at a townhome complex in the 44000 block of Bellflower Lane, which is in the area of Rancho California and Ynez roads, according to police and booking records.
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According to sheriff's officials, a woman identified in court documents only as "L.C." called 911 in the predawn hours Friday, reporting that she had been sexually assaulted in her townhouse.
Detectives spoke with the woman and gathered evidence at the scene, and Neeley was located in a nearby residence and taken into custody without a struggle, according to the sheriff's department.
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"A search warrant was served by investigators at Neeley’s residence and evidence linking Neeley to the incident was located," the sheriff's department said in a news release. "Investigators have identified additional victims with similar accusations against Neeley."
Court papers indicate two other victims were identified, one allegedly sexually assaulted on July 5, 2017, and another on Feb. 12, 2018, both in the same area, according to court papers.
Investigators did not disclose whether Neeley was acquainted with all three women, or whether there was any connection to the victims at all.
He has no prior documented felony convictions in Riverside County.
The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center.
— City News Service contributed to this report
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