A bartender accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman after serving her drinks for several hours at a Palm Springs hotel had his court appearance delayed Wednesday at the request of his attorney.
Judge Burke Strunsky granted a request from Alejandro Adan’s lawyer to allow more time to prepare for the felony settlement conference, which was rescheduled to Aug. 20 at the Larson Justice Center.
Adan, 30, was charged May 2 with assault with intent to commit rape, burglary, sexual penetration of an unconscious victim, sexual penetration with a foreign object, rape of an unconscious victim, rape of an intoxicated person and petty theft.
Adan was taken into custody March 3, the day of the alleged assault, and released on $110,000 bail. He was re-arrested after the charges were filed, and remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
According to Palm Springs police, officers responded the night of March 3 to the Rowan Hotel in the 100 block of West Tahquitz Canyon and found Adan inside the alleged victim’s hotel room, police said.
According to court documents, the woman and her mother were drinking at the hotel’s pool from 1 to 4:30 p.m. that day, with Adan serving the pair. The mother told police the bartender was friendly and flirted with her daughter, and “asked to see them after work.” She said her daughter was intoxicated, so she took her back to her hotel room, which adjoined her mother’s.
The alleged victim told authorities she took a shower and fell asleep, and her “next memory was awakening in bed with a male lying behind her,” according to the court filing.
Authorities allege that Adan initially went to her room to return her wallet. He allegedly returned two more times, and saw the woman’s mother leave to go meet her husband in the hotel lobby.
When the woman’s parents returned, they saw their daughter “wrapped in a towel, crying and yelling a man was in her room,” according to court documents, which allege the parents found Adan inside “buttoning his shorts and tightening his belt.” The father stayed with Adan while the mother called police, and while waiting for officers to arrive, the defendant allegedly said “I don’t know, I totally messed up,” court records state.
Adan faces up to life in prison if convicted.