News Briefs: Teen pleads not guilty to raping sister News Briefs: Teen pleads not guilty to raping sister (April 27, 2005)

A Menlo Park teenager accused of raping and sodomizing one sister and molesting another pleaded not guilty April 19 in San Mateo County Superior Court.

Jesus Angel Espinosa, 17, is being charged as an adult on counts of forcible rape, sodomy and oral copulation for crimes allegedly committed against his 13-year-old half sister on December 18, 2004.

Mr. Espinosa is also charged with two counts of committing a lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 for touching both the 13-year-old and an 8-year-old sister in November 2004.

On December 18, Mr. Espinosa allegedly entered his half-sister's room, locked the door, raped and sodomized the girl and forced her to engage in oral sex. She immediately reported the alleged incident to her parents.

Mr. Espinosa returns to court August 29 for a pre-trial conference. His jury trial is scheduled to begin September 26. He remains in custody on $1 million bail.
Magazine salesman held in assault

A 19-year-old Georgia man accused of assaulting an elderly Menlo Park woman will face trial, according to an April 19 ruling by Judge Thomas McGinn Smith of the San Mateo County Superior Court.

D'Angelo Langford, a magazine subscription solicitor, allegedly attacked the 80-year-old woman in her apartment in the 900 block of Alice Lane in Menlo Park around 8:30 p.m. on October 6, 2004.

In her testimony on April 19, the woman said she had gone to her back door that evening to empty a pot of water and encountered the man in her doorway.

She said the man grabbed her, struck her, and dragged her into her bedroom, where he attempted to assault her. A neighbor, Denise Weinert, heard her screams for help and pounded on her door.

A man answered the door, according to Ms. Weinert. When she said she was going to call the police, the man reportedly fled on foot. Ms. Weinert said she chased the man while talking to police on her cell phone.

Mr. Langford was arrested that evening in Palo Alto after officers discovered a van and a man matching the suspect's description. Ms. Weinert identified Mr. Langford as the man she saw leaving the victim's apartment.

Mr. Langford returns to court for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 3. He faces seven counts, including assault with intent to commit rape, residential burglary, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and witness intimidation.
Two injured in bike, motorcycle accident

A bicyclist and motorcyclist were treated at Stanford Medical Center for injuries from an April 16 accident in Woodside, said a spokesman for the Woodside Fire Protection District.

The accident occurred around 11:45 a.m. in the area of La Honda and Portola roads. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

-- Bay City News

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