| For Immediate Release Case # 08HF1931
January 7, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
NEWPORT BEACH POLICE AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY SEEK POTENTIAL VICTIMS OF MAN WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED 24-YEAR-OLD WOMAN RESPONDING TO CRAIGSLIST ROOMMATE AD
NEWPORT BEACH – The Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD) and Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office are seeking the public’s help in identifying potential victims or witnesses of a man charged with sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman who responded to a roommate advertisement on Craigslist. Corey Kamyar Katir, 48, Corona Del Mar, is charged with two felony counts of sexual battery by restraint and one felony count of false imprisonment by violence. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison if convicted on all counts. Katir is out of custody on $50,000 bail and is scheduled for preliminary hearing on Feb. 9, 2009, at 8:30 a.m. in Department H-1, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.
On Sept. 24, 2008, Katir is accused of posting a room-for-rent advertisement on Craigslist. The defendant is accused of listing a “$690 Cottage Near the Ocean” and stating in the advertisement that rent was “negotiable.”
On Sept. 25, 2008, 24-year-old Jane Doe went to Katir’s Corona Del Mar residence to see the available room. Katir is accused of sitting next to her on the couch, beginning to rub her shoulders, and kissing her. When Jane Doe stood up and began to leave, Katir is accused of grabbing her hand, pulling her into the bedroom, and using the weight of his body to push her onto the bed. Katir is accused of grabbing the victim’s breasts and buttocks. The defendant is accused of then removing his penis from his pants, grabbing Jane’s Doe hand, and making the victim touch his penis.
The NBPD and OCDA are asking for the public’s help in identifying additional victims. Anyone with information or who believes they have been a victim of a similar crime is encouraged to contact Newport Beach Police Investigator Penny Freeman at (949)644-3776 or Supervising District Attorney Investigator Ed Berakovich at (714)834-7538.
Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Duke is prosecuting this case.
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