SANTA ROSA (BCN) -- A registered sex offender charged with sexually assaulting his pregnant neighbor delayed entering pleas Wednesday morning in Sonoma County Superior Court because his attorney questioned his mental competence.
Odalis Rosario Solano, 27, will be examined by Dr. Steven Ranish and will return to court Tuesday. He is being held without bail in the Sonoma County jail.
Deputy Public Defender Karen Silver said Solano does not appear to understand the nature of the charges and his exposure to a life prison term for allegedly kidnapping the victim with intent to commit rape. Silver also said Solano is on medication and she has questions about his alertness.
The sexual assault happened in the area of state Highway 116 South and Cooper Road in Sebastopol around 2:30 p.m. Nov. 16, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
The victim fought off her assailant and screamed. Her neighbors who heard her cries came to her aid but the suspect, dressed in black clothing, threatened them with a knife, sheriff's Sgt. Cecile Focha said. He then ran from the scene.
Sheriff's deputies conducted an exhaustive search with other law enforcement agencies for several hours.
Deputies and detectives kept Solano's house under surveillance throughout Monday night and he was seen sneaking back to his house around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Focha said. He was wearing the same clothes he wore the day of the assault, Focha said.
Deputies and detectives were still in the area and quickly arrived at Solano's home, Focha said. He was found hiding under his house and refused to surrender until a police dog removed him, still in possession of a knife, from under the house, Focha said.
He was treated for a dog bite and arrested for using a weapon in conjunction with violent sex crimes including attempted rape, kidnapping, sexual battery, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, Focha said.
The victim, who was admitted to a hospital and later released, identified Solano as her assailant and her description of the suspect matched that provided by her neighbors, Focha said.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Joan Risse said authorities are still investigating whether Solano is the man who sexually assaulted a 59-year-old woman in her office at the auditorium of Santa Rosa Junior College around 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 10. The woman fought off her assailant and he fled.
The junior college assault suspect was described as a short, stocky Latino man in his mid-20s to mid-30s.
The sheriff's department said the Sebastopol suspect was described as a 27-year-old Hispanic man, 5 feet 5 inches and 190 pounds.
"Evidence from both crimes, as well as from the suspect in that (Sebastopol) case will be compared and analyzed. We are unable to confirm if the two cases are related. All other leads are being pursued," Santa Rosa police Sgt. Lisa Banayat said.
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