Homeless man charged for alleged attempted sexual assaults of two women
A homeless man accused of trying to sexually assault two women in Palm Springs on the same day was charged Tuesday with two counts of assault with intent to commit rape, and one count each of false imprisonment and burglary.
Jonathan Nava, 25, is accused of forcing his way into an office building and a park bathroom stall hours apart last Friday to try to sexually assault the women.
Read: Homeless man arrested for attempting to sexually assault two women hours apart
According to police, at 9:49 a.m. Friday, Nava forced his way into an office building in the 1100 block of North Indian Canyon Drive, chasing after a woman who was able to flee and call police. Nava fled before officers arrived, but at that point, officers hadn’t concluded that the attack was sexual in nature, police said.
Just after noon, officers were called to Ruth Hardy Park on a report of a man trying to sexually assault a woman inside a bathroom stall.
The woman, who was in the stall to change clothes for work, was heard screaming by witnesses at the park. Nava allegedly forced his way into the stall but fled after witnesses entered the bathroom, according to police.
A search of the area led to Nava’s arrest at 1:19 p.m. at Via Chica and Via Altamira, just southwest of the park. Following his arrest, officers found that he matched the suspect description from the office building attack and believe he was trying to sexually assault that woman as well.
Nava, who’s being held on $500,000 bail, pleaded not guilty to all counts Tuesday afternoon. He will return to court Nov. 9 for a felony settlement conference.
