A judge Thursday delayed the preliminary hearing until March 29 for a suspected rapist accused of kidnapping a woman in Pacific Beach on New Year’s Eve.
The preliminary hearing for Jacob Paul Skorniak, 49, had been set for Feb. 8, but both sides agreed to a delay. Skorniak was arrested Jan. 21 in Santa Barbara and was arraigned in San Diego Superior Court on Jan. 26.
Skorniak is accused of kidnapping the woman and raping her at knifepoint. She was abducted Dec. 31 minutes after getting out of taxi in Pacific Beach. Someone wrote down the license plate of Skorniak’s 1995 Dodge Ram with Colorado plates, and San Diego Police released his picture along with a photo of his vehicle on Jan. 21. He was arrested in Santa Barbara the same day.
If convicted, Skorniak faces a life term for kidnapping for the purpose of rape. He has a prior record for burglary and robbery, according to court records. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in the central jail on $1 million bail.