Publication Date: Friday, December 31, 2004
Digest
Digest
(December 31, 2004) Accused rapist will be tried as an adult
A 17-year-old man is being charged as an adult for raping and sodomizing his younger half-sister.
Jesus Angel Espinosa is being charged with forcible rape, sodomy and oral copulation for crimes committed against his 13-year-old half-sister on Dec. 18.
Espinosa also faces two counts of committing a lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 for allegedly touching the victim and another relative a month earlier, prosecutor Elizabeth Raffaelli said.
The amended complaint against Espinosa, a 17-year-old being charged as an adult, also reflects special allegations that each of the forcible sex crimes against Espinosa's half-sister was a serious felony, Raffaelli said.
The San Mateo County district attorney's office alleges that Espinosa, who lived with his father, stepmother and the victim, entered the victim's room, locked the door, raped and sodomized the girl and forced her to engage in oral sex.
The victim immediately reported the incident to her parents, and physical evidence corroborates the girl's story, the prosecution alleges.
Espinosa, represented by the San Mateo County private defender program, appeared in court but did not enter a plea today. Superior Court Commissioner Susan Greenberg granted a one-week delay at the defense's request.
Espinosa will return to court on Jan. 5 at 1:30 p.m.
Anti-Semitic graffiti found at school
A swastika and anti-Semitic graffiti were found at the a preschool in Palo Alto on Christmas Eve. The graffiti, a drawing of a train with a reference to Adolf Hitler, was on an outside blackboard at Greendell School, said Lt. Jon Hernandez.
The pre-school was last in session Dec. 19 and is adjacent to the temporary quarters of the Jewish Community Center.
The incident is being investigated as a hate crime, Hernandez said. This was the ninth hate crime recorded in Palo Alto this year, said Doris Cohen, the Police Department's crime analyst. Most have been graffiti crimes.
Libraries to close for catalog upgrade
All branches of the Palo Alto libraries will be closed Monday through Wednesday, Jan. 10-12, to install new catalog software. The new software replaces a 20-year-old system.
"In terms of technology use and expectations, Palo Alto is a very sophisticated community, so we wanted to make the most of Web-based resources to meet the demands of our customers," said Library Director Paula Simpson.
The new software will improve book searches and have more content, such as book reviews and tables of content for some materials.
The new system will be phased in over several months after it is installed. For additional information regarding the new system visit www.cityofpaloalto.org .
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