Bobby Allen Rollins Jr., accused of kidnapping, robbing and sexually assaulting a teenager in Oxnard more than three decades ago, has been arraigned, according to Ventura County Superior Court records. The 55-year-old Long Beach man pleaded not guilty Aug. 24 to one count of kidnapping for robbery, records show. He also denied all seven special allegations, including that he personally used a firearm during the crime, that he was on parole when the crime occurred and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.
Rollins faces a potential life sentence in prison, prosecutors said.
On the night of June 11, 1990, Oxnard Police Department officers responded to a reported traffic collision at the intersection of Perkins and Hueneme Roads, where a teenager
approached them to tell them that she had been attacked, according to authorities.
The victim reported that shortly after parking near Ormond Beach, two men ordered her out of her car at gunpoint and demanded money, police said. One of the men allegedly forced her down an embankment and, still armed with the gun, sexually assaulted her, police said.
When the men fled, the teen returned to her car and drove away but was so distraught that she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a light pole, police said.
The case went cold until the victim's sexual assault kit was recently re-tested as part of the Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a collaborative effort between the Ventura County District Attorney's Office and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office to process every untested sexual assault kit in the county using advanced DNA testing.
The DNA profile generated a match for Rollins on the Combined DNA Index System database, and he was arrested June 10 in Long Beach, according to authorities.
Prosecutors said the statute of limitations for sexual assault expired 10 years after the crime took place.
Rollins remains in custody at Todd Road jail without bail, and his early disposition conference is set for Sept. 23.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office encourages anyone with information about the identity of the second suspect in the kidnapping and robbery or anyone with information connecting Rollins to any unreported kidnappings, robberies or sexual assaults to contact District Attorney Investigator Yumi Kirk at 805-477-1838.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man accused of 1990 Oxnard kidnapping, robbery enters plea
