Santa Ana Man Charged in 2 Laguna Beach Rape Incidents

A Santa Ana man was jailed Wednesday on suspicion of raping a Laguna Beach woman in her home and trying to rape one of her neighbors a short time later, police said.

Robert Lynn Lewis, 24, was taken into custody about 2:30 a.m. in the Arch Heights area of Laguna Beach after officers found him hiding in bushes, said Sgt. Ray Lardie.

Lewis was booked into the Laguna Beach City Jail on suspicion of rape, attempted rape, burglary and attempted robbery, Lardie said. The unemployed laborer was subsequently transferred to the Orange County Jail, where he was held on $50,000 bail.

Police said Lewis reportedly tried to rape a 43-year-old woman shortly after 2 a.m. in her home in the 900 block of La Mirada Avenue. Officers were called to the scene and searched the area while a Huntington Beach Police Department helicopter hovered overhead. An Irvine police dog aided in the search, but the suspect was not found, Lardie said.

A short time later, Lardie said, officers received a report of a woman screaming for help in the 900 block of Katella Avenue. The woman told officers that she had been raped by a man who then fled. Lewis was arrested after a brief search of the neighborhood, Lardie said.