Friday, June 21, 2013

Acton Man Going to Trial on 3rd-Strike Rape Charges

Arthur Edward Lindsey

Arthur Edward Lindsey


An Acton man who’s a registered sex offender and convicted murderer will stand trial for four counts of rape, a judge decided Thursday at Antelope Valley Municipal Court in Lancaster.


Arthur Edward Lindsey, 73, of Acton, pleaded not guilty to four counts –  two counts of rape, and two other counts related to a sexual assault, according to Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.


Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami previously has said he would seek life in prison for Lindsey, because, if convicted, this would be his third strike.


Lindsey is being held in lieu of $1.4 million bail. He is due back in court July 10.


Lindsey served more than 30 years in Indiana for a murder-rape conviction in 1968.


The most recent charge involves a Santa Clarita woman who was sexually assaulted June 4, according to court records.


“The victim was a 29-year-old woman, a Santa Clarita resident,” Hatami said. The crime occurred about 10 miles north of Shadow Pines, and the victim did not know Lindsey.


The crime occurred between Tuesday and Wednesday, Hatami said.


“We filed two counts (Friday) of rape of an unconscious person, one count of oral copulation of an unconscious person and one count of sexual penetration by a foreign object,” said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office.


Lindsey has a record of violent sex crimes.


“He’s a three-striker,” Hatami said, adding that he planned to seek a life sentence in the case.


Lindsey was convicted of a rape-murder in Indiana in 1968.


“He pleaded no contest to not being registered as a sex offender (on May 18, 2005),” Robison said. “He was sentenced to four years in state prison.”


Lindsey moved to Southern California in 1998, after he was released on parole for his murder sentence.


Lindsey’s most recent registered address is 10645 Soledad Canyon Road, Apartment A, in Acton, according to California’s Megan’s Law website.


Lindsey was deemed a “low-to-moderate risk,” according to a Feb. 1, 2011, scoring on the Megan’s Law website.


The case is being investigated by the Special Victims Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.


No additional information is being released at this time, officials said.


On Jan. 11, 2013, a federal court enjoined the Attorney General and law enforcement agencies from collecting information pertaining to e-mail addresses, internet service providers, and social networking/screen names on sex offender registration forms.


 



Acton Man Going to Trial on 3rd-Strike Rape Charges