A 31-year-old Santa Maria man was arrested Sunday on two counts of kidnap for rape after he allegedly grabbed two women — in separate incidents — with the intent of sexually assaulting them, according to Santa Maria police.
Marco Canaca was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail, with bail set at $1 million, according to police Sgt. Howard Coolidge.
The first incident occurred shortly before 7:40 a.m., when officers were called to the 800 block of North Broadway on a report that a 35-year-old woman had been assaulted. The victim told officers a man approached her as she was walking, forcibly grabbed her, and began walking her down the road while threatening her.
A citizen driving by intervened and drove the victim to a safe location while the assailant fled, officers said.
Shortly before 9 a.m., an officer patrolling in the area of McClelland and Hermosa streets encountered a man and woman in an alley,. The woman, who was crying and yelling, broke away from the man, who was subsequently arrested.
The woman told officers that Canaca threatened her and demanded sex from her, and investigators concluded he was the suspect in the earlier incident, according to police.
The names of the alleged victims were withheld by police.
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