More victims of suspected serial rapist sought

Matt Pordum and Jen Lawson

Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004 | 11:06 a.m.

Monday's preliminary hearing for a 28-year-old man suspected of abducting, raping and robbing as many as six women in Las Vegas was rescheduled to allow investigators to conduct DNA tests on other potential victims.

Metro Police say Ricardo Beltran is a serial rapist, and on Sunday charged him in connection with a third rape. He has been in the Clark County Detention Center since he was arrested and charged in connection with two rapes earlier this month.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman rescheduled the preliminary hearing for Beltran for Sept. 29 upon the request of Deputy District Attorney Becky Goettsch, who informed the court that testing was currently under way on other alleged victims of Beltran.

Goettsch didn't say exactly how many other victims were subject to the investigation, but was fairly certain authorities had determined Beltran could have the person responsible for at least "one" other victim.

The two current cases against Beltran involve a 19-year-old woman who had been walking along Maryland Parkway near Twain Avenue and a 17-year-old girl who was abducted July 26 from the parking lot of Denny's on the Strip just north of Tropicana Avenue.

Detectives on Sunday linked Beltran to a rape July 18 in which he abducted a woman off the street in the area of Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road.

In all three instances Beltran allegedly used a knife to force the victims into a champagne or silver-colored convertible and drove them to nearby apartment complexes where he raped and robbed them.

Sgt. Chris Darcy of Metro's sexual assault section said he anticipates charging Beltran with a fourth rape that occurred in 2003, but detectives are still gathering evidence. He didn't elaborate.

Beltran is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on three counts each of first-degree kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault, all involving the use of a deadly weapon.