A 43-year-old convicted robber pleaded guilty Tuesday and was immediately sentenced to three years in prison for trying to sexually assault a housekeeper in a Garden Grove hotel.
Melvin Pope Jr. pleaded guilty to assault with the intent to commit a sex offense and bringing a controlled substance into a jail, both felonies. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of false imprisonment.
Pope has been in custody since his arrest Jan. 6, 2020.
Police were called just before 9:30 a.m. Jan. 6, 2020, to the Hilton Garden Inn Anaheim/Garden Grove at 11777 Harbor Blvd., said Garden Grove Police Department Lt. Carl Whitney.
A 29-year-old woman who works at the hotel was checking rooms to clean up when she saw the suspect, who she first assumed was a guest, Whitney said.
Pope exposed and touched himself before attacking the woman, pinning her against a wall, Whitney said. The victim managed to get free and ran into a room and locked herself in, Whitney said.
The woman called co-workers, who summoned the police, Whitney said.
Police found Pope moments later at Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue, Whitney said.
Pope had methamphetamine in his pocket when he was being booked into the city’s jail, Whitney said.
Pope was convicted in 1997 of robbery in Los Angeles County, according to the criminal complaint.