Suspect Arrested in Alleged Sex Assault of Elderly Woman in Mira Mesa Church

A 27-year-old man suspected of sexually assaulting an elderly woman at a Mira Mesa church was arrested Tuesday.

Detectives arrested Hugo Jonathan Espinoza-Martinez on suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape and elder abuse about 1 p.m. in the 10700 block of Westview Parkway, near Mira Mesa Boulevard and the Escondido (15) Freeway, less than a half-mile from the site of the alleged sex crime, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Espinoza-Martinez allegedly showed up at the church in the 10700 block of Rickert Road Friday and asked the victim, who was alone inside the building, if he could use the restroom, SDPD Lt. Carmelin Rivera said.

“The woman let the man inside, and, after he spent several minutes in the restroom, she asked him to leave,” Rivera said. “The man left the restroom, pulled the woman into a nearby room and sexually assaulted her. During the attack, the woman fought back and was able to get away.”

The assailant then fled, Rivera said.

Rivera, who described the alleged victim as “elderly,” said police were withholding her age “to protect her identity.”

City News Service contributed to this article.