A convicted child molester who jumped bail and eluded authorities for three years, pleaded not guilty Friday to sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in Santa Ana.
Jose Rafael Frias, 48, pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor younger than 14. The alleged molestation happened in December and June of 2015, according to court records.
A sentencing enhancement was added on Friday on a 1997 conviction in Los Angeles for molesting a 13-year-old girl, meaning he will now face a life sentence, according to court records.
Frias is accused of molesting the 11-year-old, who was a “close family friend,” according to Santa Ana police. In one instance, he drove the girl to a hotel where he intended to sexually assault her, police alleged.
Frias was arrested May 4, 2016, and charged on May 5 of that year, police said. On May 10, 2016, Frias posted $100,000 bail, got out of custody, and was ordered to return to court May 27, 2016, for his arraignment, but he failed to show, police said.
Police allege he fled to Mexico, but returned to the U.S.
When detectives learned he had returned to the country they attempted to arrest him, but he had installed “surveillance cameras and utilized counter-surveillance measures to avoid arrest,” police said.
Last month, police asked for public help taking him into custody and tips led them to his whereabouts. Frias was arrested Thursday as he pulled a car into a shopping center in the 1000 block of South Fairview Street, police said.