Two South Bay women and a tourist testified Dec. 10 a Chula Vista man raped them and he was ordered to stand trial on eight felony counts.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Maureen Hallahan ruled there was sufficient evidence and probable cause to hold Seth Alan Roberts, 19, for trial on all charges following an all-day preliminary hearing.
The first witness, an 18-year-old woman who was identified only as C.C., testified she and Roberts both came from Oklahoma together in 2018 after getting a ride from a truck driver.
“We dated for three months and he sexually assaulted me,” said C.C.
C.C. said she met Roberts on social media. They set up camp at the Sweetwater Summit Regional Park in Bonita in October 2018. She said Roberts raped her in a tent there.
“He forced me to the ground and got on top of me,” said C.C. “I was telling him it was wrong. He was much stronger than me.”
Roberts left to go to work and she later called police after leaving the area.
A 19-year-old Otay Mesa woman testified she met Roberts at the Palomar Street bus stop in Chula Vista in November 2018. She said Roberts asked her how to get to Imperial Beach and also asked about “things to do around San Diego.”
She said she gave him her phone number and address. Roberts later knocked on her door and she let him in. He said his phone needed re-charging, so she let him plug it into the wall of her bedroom.
“He tried to make a move on me. I told him to back off,” said the woman. “He tried to do it again,” adding she pushed him away.
“He pulled out a knife and put it to my throat. He put the sharp end to my throat,” said the woman. “I better do whatever he asked. I didn’t want to.”
“Out of fear, I listened. I tried to take the knife from his hand,” said the woman, adding the knife cut a finger. “He said not to do that again.”
“He threw me on the bed. He pulled his pants down,” said the woman. “I kept telling him to stop.”
After raping her, Roberts told her he would be “long gone” if she called police. “I felt stupid,” she said.
However, Roberts texted her several days later and she called police. He was arrested Dec. 6, 2018, at a house on Hanford Court in Chula Vista.
The third victim, identified as G.S., was visiting the area from Washington, D.C. and met Roberts in Pacific Beach on Nov. 17, 2018. Speaking through a Portuguese interpreter, the woman said she was from Brazil and worked as an au pair for a couple who were vacationing in the area with their three children.
She said she mentioned being from Brazil and Roberts offered to take her to meet his roommate’s girlfriend who was also from Brazil at his house on Reed Avenue. San Diego Police detective John Clayton testified Roberts did not live at that house.
“Let’s go in from the back,” said Roberts, according to the woman who then realized “something was wrong” when they got behind the house.
“He produced a knife. He threatened me he would kill me,” said G.S. “He put it (near) my neck. He was screaming at me.”
She said he raped her and then ran off. G.S. said she ran for help, but didn’t know what to do. She ordered a Lyft ride and returned to her host family without telling them what happened.
“I was fearful. I didn’t know what the reaction of my host family would be,” said G.S.
She went with the family to Palm Springs three days later and she told them there what happened. “My host was shocked,” said G.S., who added that he called Palm Springs Police. She was taken to a hospital there.
Deputy District Attorney Judy Taschner urged Hallahan to order Roberts to stand trial on all eight charges of forcible rape, digital penetration, and forcible sodomy. Roberts’ attorney submitted the case to the judge without comment.
Taschner said afterwards that Roberts is facing a maximum penalty of 190 years to life in prison. A trial date will be set on Jan. 6. He remains in jail on $1.25 million bail.
