A man accused of raping a 15-year-old girl numerous times over the course of three weeks has been charged. Samuel Robert Duran, Jr., 33, was arrested yesterday for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl with autism who went missing from her neighborhood three weeks ago. Duran has been charged with multiple felonies, including three counts of rape, three counts of forced digital penetration and six counts of forced oral copulation, according to a release from the L.A. County District Attorney's Office. He pleaded not guilty today at his arraignment and will return to court on May 13, KTLA reports.
Duran allegedly kept the girl in his house from March 25 to April 13 and tied her up when assaulting her, City News Service reports. Duran was initially being held on an $8 million bail, but his bail was raised to $12 million this afternoon.
The girl went missing while taking a walk near her home on March 24 after getting into an argument with her mother. She never returned, and could not be found for the next three weeks. Eventually, the girl was able to use a cell phone to call her mother for help. Police tracked the phone to Duran's home on Monday.
The girl is now home safe with her mother, who adopted the girl eight years ago along with her sister, who is now 18. The mother said that the girl has a form of autism and suffers from the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome,according to NBC LA.
"I would like everyone crucified that lives in that house, that's been in that house," she told NBC LA. "Because my daughter was there for 21 days, and don't say that they didn't know that she was there."
Duran faces life in state prison, if he is found guilty of the crimes with which he's been charged.
