A Rancho Penasquitos man was arrested Wednesday Dec. 6, after San Diego police used DNA tests to link him to several rapes in University City.
Teddy Baek, 39, was arrested close to 11 a.m. outside his Torrey Gardens Place residence and charged with sexual assault and attempted burglary.
On two separate occasions, in June 2005 and May 2006, Baek allegedly sexually assaulted two different women at their University City residences. He reportedly removed the window screen at each residence ” one on Charmant Drive and the other on Cargill Avenue ” before entering through unlocked windows, according to police.
“Whenever we have sensitive cases such as sex crimes, such as in this particular case, we cannot release more information because there are still some photo line-ups taking place, and we are still talking with victims so we can further secure the evidence for this case,” said Monica Muãoz, police spokeswoman.
Baek’s first appearance in San Diego Central Division Felony Municipal Court was Friday, Dec. 8. He is currently being held in San Diego Central Jail, according to a San Diego County Sheriff Web site.
A break in the case came when a University City woman called police on Monday, Dec. 4, to report someone hiding in the bushes in her yard on the 7800 block of Avenida Navidad, police said.
Officers from San Diego’s Northern Division arrived within minutes and saw a man who matched the description the victim had given running from the residence. Police chased the man, caught him and took him into custody.
He was admitted to San Diego County Jail, charged with disorderly conduct and loitering, but then posted bail the following day and was released, according to a police statement.
Baek’s appearance and behavior matched the description of the suspect in two prior sexual assaults, and on Dec. 6 police were able to match DNA samples taken from Baek to those gathered at the scenes of the May and June sexual assaults in UC, police said. At that time, they issued a warrant for the man’s arrest and to search his home and his business, Travel-Land, located on the 4600 block of Convoy Street.
San Diego police credit the University of California, San Diego police, as well as community members and local area businesses, in Baek’s arrest. The groups alerted the public about previous incidents, issued safety bulletins and kept in close communication with investigators, police said.
A community manager at the apartment complex where the first assault took place immediately issued a notice to all residents following the incident to give them a description of the suspect and advise them to report any suspicious activity to the lead detective handling the case, according to Muãoz.
The police department’s Sex Crimes Unit believes that more incidents involving “peeping” or sexual assaults may have occurred in the UC area.