Naked transient enters home, sexually assaults mother & disabled daughter

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Authorities say a naked transient who entered a Riverside home and sexually assaulted a mother and her adult, developmentally disabled daughter was arrested after responding officers caught the man in the act of brutalizing the two women early this morning, Thursday, Aug. 20.

The alleged suspect, since identified as Manuel Paul Benavente, 34, of Riverside, was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of two counts of assault with the intent to rape during the commission of a burglary.

Online jail records indicate he was also booked for twelve misdemeanors related to warrants and earlier cases and charges he had failed to appear in court for and he remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail or bond.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

San Jacinto man murdered in Nuevo – Two arrested

Man dies after run over by multiple cars in Moreno Valley

Pregnant woman critically injured in Hemet head-on crash

Two dead, six injured, after trio of SR-371 crashes over two days rock Anza Valley

City of Riverside police officers were alerted to this morning’s break-in and assaults around 2:30 a.m., after the City’s Public Safety Communications Center received a call from a woman reporting that a stranger had broken into her home along Hayes St. near Arlington Park and was attempting to sexually assault her daughter.

Officers who raced to the home arrived within moments of the dispatched call and upon approaching the residence “could see a naked man on top of a woman through a bedroom window,” according to a social media release from the department.

Officers immediately entered the home and quickly apprehended the man who was still in the victim’s bedroom, according to officials; who reported that both victims sustained visible injuries and were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Officials say Manuel Benavente was caught in the act of sexually assaulting a woman and her developmentally disabled daughter inside their Riverside home early this morning.

Based on the circumstances, detectives with the Sexual Assault – Child Abuse (SACA) Unit, along with specialists from the department’s Forensics Unit, responded and assumed the investigation.

Their preliminary investigation revealed Benavente had removed a window screen and crawled into the home completely naked, leaving his clothes outside.

After confronting and assaulting the mother and ordering her to remove her clothes, Benavente then attempted to rape both her and her daughter; a developmentally disabled woman in her 30s who lives with her parents.

At some point the mother managed to call 911, leading to Benavente’s apprehension. 

Riverside PD’s investigation is continuing and Benavente is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice Aug. 24.

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation and arrest is urged to contact Detective Janet Ramos at (951) 826-8719 or by email, or Detective Charlie Olivas at (951) 353-7136 or by email. Callers can refer to incident file number 200021802 and can remain anonymous.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can also email [email protected] or utilize the Riverside Police Department’s mobile app “Submit a Tip” feature.

---

This article sponsored by:

For more information, contact Bill Tyler at Century 21 Full Realty Service.

---

Voted Best Independent Sandwich Shop in the Inland Empire by The Press-Enterprise readers choice. Centrally located on N Harvard St in the heart of Downtown Hemet, enjoy over 30 different sandwiches and premium salads. Our coffee is made from locally roasted, Organic Coffee Beans from Idyllwild Coffee Roasters. Come taste the difference that is Downtown Deli & Coffee Company. For more information, visit Downtown Deli & Coffee Co. on Facebook.

---

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.