A 39-year-old man pleaded not guilty to two felonies in Ventura County Superior Court on Oct. 21 for allegedly attacking a woman while wearing a mask like the one used in the movie "Scream" in Simi Valley in 2017.
Ricardo Jimenez Garcia was charged with sodomy by acting in concert with force and rape while acting in concert, according to court records. He also denied special allegations including that the victim was vulnerable and the sex crimes involved great force. Such allegations bring the possibility of increased prison time if found guilty.
Jimenez Garcia, and several others also wearing the same masks, allegedly attacked a woman while she was walking to work along Galena Avenue around 4:10 a.m. on Sept. 21, 2017, according to a Ventura
County District Attorney’s Office news release.
The men were also wielding a knife, the DA’s office said. The men fled after the assault and the woman called 911.
Despite an investigation by the Simi Valley Police Department, the case eventually went cold until recently when investigators identified the 39-year-old as a suspect, the DA’s office said. He was arrested on Sept. 9 and booked into Ventura County jail without bail.
Jimenez Garcia is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 18.
The remaining men are still at large and DA’s office is requesting that anyone who may have witnessed the attack, has been a victim of a similar attack or recognizes the man to call DA’s Investigator Yumi Kirk at 805-477-1638.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: 39-year-old man pleads not guilty to 2017 'Scream' mask attack in Simi
