Carson City man faces sexual assault charge
A Carson City man faces a felony sexual assault charge after allegedly raping a woman in a stairwell near a Carson City tavern early Sunday morning.
Rodrigo Romero, 20, was arrested Tuesday and is being held on $50,000 bail.
The victim had been with friends at a tavern and walked outside to look for them. She told authorities that as she was walking a man she didn't know walked beside her and began speaking to her in Spanish.
According to the arrest report, the victim said she told the man that she didn't speak Spanish and to get away from her. She told authorities that she was grabbed by the man, pulled into a dark stairwell and sexually assaulted.
A witness told authorities that he was near the stairwell when he heard the woman scream. The witness told authorities he yelled down the stairwell after hearing the woman scream and that the suspect walked up, and then ran away.
An investigation into the case led to photographs of Romero inside a Carson City casino. Photos were shown to the victim and two witnesses who saw the man near the stairwell.
A subsequent investigation led to the man's arrest at a home on North Roop. A search of trash cans near the man's home led to clothing that was booked into evidence.
The man also faces a misdemeanor property destruction charge after purposely banging his head in wall near the elevator at the Carson City Sheriff's Office.