A felon who tried to sexually assault a woman at a Whitewater canine training facility was sentenced Thursday to 25 years to life in state prison.
Bryan Vines Burge, 55, pleaded guilty last month to attempted rape by fear under a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors dropped two related charges and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon during a sexual offense.
During a hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Thursday, Superior Court Judge William Lebov certified the terms of the plea agreement and imposed the stipulated sentence.
According to sheriff’s investigators, shortly before 7 a.m. last Aug. 16, the defendant forcibly entered the Guide Dogs of the Desert compound at 60735 Dillon Road, where canines are specially trained to serve as companion and guardian pets for the blind.
Investigators said Burge encountered the victim, identified in court documents only as “L.S.,” and pulled a knife on her, trying to force himself on her while threatening her life.
The woman struggled and suffered unspecified injuries during the attack but was able to break free of the defendant’s grasp and flee to call for help, according to investigators.
Patrol deputies converged on the location a short time later and initiated a search based on the woman’s statements. They located and arrested Burge without incident on Dillon Road three hours later.
The victim did not require hospitalization. It was unclear whether the defendant specifically burglarized the training facility to target the woman.
Court documents indicated he had prior convictions out of Orange County for burglary and lewd acts on a minor.