Sean Luke Salaber Charged in Attempted Armed Rape of Female Jogger

UPDATE, SEPT. 28, 2:15 P.M.: Sean Luke Salaber was charged today with felony attempted kidnapping to commit a sex offense and assault with intent to commit a sex offense and misdemeanor brandishing a replica gun.

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A conviction could send Salaber to state prison for nine years and impose mandatory lifetime sex offender registration, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office, which will request his bail be upped from $100,000 to $250,000 at his arraignment this afternoon in Santa Ana. Salaber listed his occupation as National Guardsman in jail records, sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock says the suspect is ex-military. The Orange County sheriff's spokesman adds investigators determined there is no link between Salaber and a man wanted for sexual assaults in Riverside County, including one involving a 14-year-old girl. But Orange County authorities fear there may be other victims of Salaber and ask anyone with information to contact the sheriff's Special Victims Unit at 714.647.7418 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Mark Gutierrez at 714.347.8794.

ORIGINAL POST, SEPT. 25, 10:55 A.M.: A Riverside man has been arrested for allegedly pulling a gun on a woman jogging through Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park and trying to rape her.

Around 6:40 p.m. Thursday, the 23-year-old woman was jogging on a trail near Alicia Parkway and Aliso Creek Road, where she was tackled from behind, had a handgun placed against her head and was sexually groped, according to Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock, the department spokesman.

She screamed for help and her attacker pushed the firearm against her head and told her to shut up, said Hallock, who reports bystanders who ran up when they heard the screams scared off the gunman.

The victim gave responding deputies a description of her attacker, right down to his clothing, and a search by patrol cars and the sheriff's helicopter “Duke” resulted in a man on foot being spotted about 40 minutes after and a quarter mile from the scene of the assault, Hallock said.

Sean Salaber, 22, of Riverside, was arrested in a residential neighborhood near Kite Hill Drive and Becard Drive on suspicion of attempted rape, false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked into Orange County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Meanwhile, sheriff's Special Victims Unit investigators are busy collecting evidence from Salaber's vehicle that was located nearby, and reserve deputies are helping in the area search for additional evidence, including the handgun, Hallock said.

The ongoing investigation could lead to additional charges against Salaber, who is scheduled to appear in court Monday, Hallock says.

That will be especially true if Salaber can be linked to sexual assaults in Riverside, including one involving a 14-year-old girl there. According to Hallock, Salaber's booking photo resembles the man in a police artist sketch of the Riverside attacker.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the OCSD Special Victims Unit at 714.647.7418 or 714.647.7000. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855.847.6227 (855-TIP-OCCS), via occrimestoppers.org or by texting to 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S) from a cell phone. (All text messages should begin with the letters “OCCS”.)

Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

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