Man who raped teenage acquaintance gets probation

SAN DIEGO – A young man who raped a teenage acquaintance on the grounds of a University City apartment complex was sentenced Tuesday to three years probation and given credit for jail time served.

Erick Rojas, 22, pleaded guilty to statutory rape in July in connection with the sexual assault that occurred in February. He had faced a maximum of six years and eight months in prison.

Before the sentence was handed down, Deputy Public Defender Stewart Dadmun told Judge Robert F. O’Neill that the facts of the case were different than they originally appeared.

Dadmun said the District Attorney’s Office continued investigating the case after it was filed and even after Rojas pleaded guilty.

According to police, the defendant was socializing with the girl in the 7600 block of Palmilla Drive, along with two other men, when he attacked her about 9 p.m. on Feb. 25.

“She yelled for help, and a nearby security guard called police,” San Diego police Lt. Chuck Kaye said after Rojas was taken into custody.

When patrol officers arrived, the suspect ran off, the lieutenant said. Rojas was arrested following a brief foot chase.

Rojas was on probation for a December 2013 burglary conviction from South Bay when he was arrested in the sexual assault case, said Deputy District Attorney Trisha Amador.

The judge gave the defendant credit for 792 days in custody and told him he would be released today.