A 25-year-old Riverside man, Roderick Eugene Arline Jr., has been arrested in relation to the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Corona and an attempted kidnapping in Riverside. The Corona Police Department responded to the assault reports on July 21, around 11:30 p.m.
Arline Jr. is alleged to have lured the young girl into the back of an older black Mercedes Benz C-class on Magnolia Avenue, near Tyler Street in Riverside. He then drove her to the vicinity of Sixth Street and Rimpau Avenue in Corona, where the sexual assault occurred, according to a Corona PD news release.
During their investigation, authorities discovered that the Riverside Police Department had previously investigated a similar attempted kidnapping incident on April 20, near the intersection of Jackson Street and Miller Avenue in Riverside. The suspect in that case, matching Arline’s description, attempted to force a woman into his black vehicle. Although the victim managed to escape, she sustained injuries during the encounter.
Detectives from the Corona Police and Riverside Police collaborated on the investigation and determined that Arline Jr. was also responsible for the April 20 crime in Riverside.
Arline Jr. has been booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center and is currently in custody on $2.5 million bail. Detectives suspect there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward. This case underscores the relentless efforts law enforcement makes in the pursuit of justice, and the importance of community vigilance and reporting of suspicious activity.