Prosecutor: 'Serial rapist' targeted Hispanics, requested female cab drivers
Rodolfo Castillo was a "serial rapist" who targeted Hispanics and used cellphones he stole to lure more victims, prosecutors said Thursday.
"This defendant was not going to stop his predatory behavior in our community," Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Linda Scott said at an arraignment for Castillo, 24, who faces multiple counts of rape, kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Lisa Allen increased Castillo's bond Thursday to $2 million. The Forest Park resident has been held at the county jail since he was arrested Feb. 24.
Investigators say Castillo attacked two women and a teenager in a four-day span beginning Feb. 12. Two were sexually assaulted and one managed to get away by jumping out of a car.
That woman "landed on the roadway while (Castillo) was driving the car," Scott said.
Court documents say she jumped into traffic and that another motorist stopped to help her. The incident happened Feb. 14. She had accepted a ride from Castillo outside the Woodlawn Kroger store after buying groceries, according to prosecutors.
Castillo used that woman's cellphone, Scott said, to lure another victim, who documents say was sexually assaulted two days later, on Feb. 16.
Scott said that when Castillo called for rides, he pretended to be female.
He was "very specific," Scott said, saying he wanted a female to pick him up because he was afraid of a male driver. In one of the attacks, prosecutors say, he called a cab service. In another, he contacted someone who was providing rides on her own.
According to Scott, after attacking the third victim on Feb. 16, Castillo "began to use her phone to lure (others)," again by pretending to be female.
A police detective said in court Thursday that he believes there are other victims who have not yet come forward.
Castillo's attorney, James Bogen, declined to specifically address the allegations. Bogen did say he has talked to investigators and that no one has come forward with information that could lead to additional charges against Castillo.
It was revealed at Thursday's arraignment that Castillo, who is from Guatemala, is undocumented and his visa has expired. He was living with his parents in a Forest Park apartment. Bogen said the family is in the U.S. legally.
Scott said that Castillo's Social Security Number was searched in a federal database, "and there were no hits."
Castillo faces a maximum of 107 years in prison, according to Scott.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutor: 'Serial rapist' requested rides pretending to be female
