Suspect also linked to assaults in California; extradition pending.
Gaithersburg, MD (JK) – Montgomery County Police have charged a California man in a violent sexual assault that began at a Gaithersburg restaurant last December and continued after the victim crashed her car while trying to get home.
Detectives say 27-year-old Mauricio Martinez-Garcia of Madera, California, took the woman from the crash scene against her will, assaulted her at his apartment, and later assaulted her again at her home. A forensic exam and evidence collected from her apartment helped identify him as the suspect.
A DNA match confirmed through a federal database led to Martinez-Garcia’s arrest on December 9 in California. He is charged with rape, kidnapping, and multiple assault counts and is awaiting extradition to Maryland.
Investigators say Martinez-Garcia is also connected to a separate sexual assault in Los Banos, California. Police believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to contact the Montgomery County Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400.
By Jimmy Key