HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — A 28-year-old man is accused of kidnapping and raping 2 women in his car earlier this year and may be involved in others.
Jose Omar Ortiz-Rico is being held on $1.25 million bail, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
He is charged in attacks that took place on April 19 and May 26. Another attack happened in February and investigators believe there may be other victims as well.
Ortiz-Rico was arrested May 28 and the investigation continued. He was arraigned June 8 and pleaded not guilty to 15 charges including first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, kidnapping and sodomy.
Washington County Sheriff’s Sergeant Bob Ray said it wasn’t until the second attack that investigators were able to get indictments from the grand jury. He said the case was convoluted.
“We didn’t have good definitive information, it was a very convoluted case. But after the second one we had very good information. We had a good idea who he was and that was reported to another police agency and we got it on the 27th and our detectives immediately began surveillance.” Ray told KOIN 6 News.
Ortiz-Rico rented a room in a house on SW Rosedale Rd. in Aloha and he reportedly took the first victim to a farm field near his house where he held her for ten hours while repeatedly sexually assaulting her.
The second victim said he forced himself on her while they were in his car.