Man arrested after rape during Stagecoach festival in Indio

[gaypalmsprings]

Woman testifies that man raped her at music festival

11:35 PM, Dec. 7, 2011 |

Written by Joy Juedes, City News Service

INDIO — A woman testified Wednesday that a parking lot attendant at the Stagecoach country music festival helped her find a friend's car, then forced himself on her, pinned her to the ground and raped her last spring.

“I was still hoping to make him go away and I didn't know what I was going to do,” she said. “He pushed me down on my back on the ground; I'm pushing and telling him to stop and he just keeps telling me it's fine.”

She said she began to cry, begged him to stop and began to call for help.

“I could hear the music from the concert and just hoped someone would be coming soon,” the 23-year-old Los Angeles woman said.

She said she heard someone coming, and her attacker got up and walked away.

“I remember a woman rush up and ask if I was hurt; I was sobbing,” she said. “(I told) her that he raped me, that was all I could say.”

Darin Ledale Garrett, 46, is accused of rape, forced oral copulation, sexual penetration with a foreign object and sexual battery, stemming from the alleged April 30 attack.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.

The alleged rape occurred about 9:50 p.m. on the opening night of Stagecoach, which is held annually at Indio's Empire Polo Grounds.

Deputy District Attorney Brijida Rodarte told jurors in her opening statement that nurses later found bruises on the alleged victim's body, and DNA matching Garrett's was collected during the rape exam.

The woman later picked Garrett out of a photo lineup, the prosecutor said.

“You'll hear testimony that Darin Ledale Garrett was the man who raped (the woman),” Rodarte said. “There's more than enough evidence to satisfy the requirements (to convict him).”

Garrett's attorney, Joshua Mulligan, asked jurors to keep an open mind and consider all the evidence.

“There's a lot more here than the prosecution has let on,” he said in his opening statement. “Listen to everything very carefully and find him not guilty.”

Garrett was arrested a day after the alleged attack at an Indio motel.

He told police he had helped the woman by lending her his cell phone but denied having physical contact with her, according to court papers.

The woman testified that she became separated from her companions at the music festival and Garrett helped her find a friend's car.

She said she had had seven or eight drinks and was “feeling the buzz” that night.

She alleged that after she thanked Garrett, he exposed himself and did not leave when she told him she wasn't interested.

She testified that he then attacked her.

Garrett is being held at the Riverside County Jail in Indio in lieu of $100,000 bail.

[gaypalmsprings]

Man convicted of rape at Stagecoach

12:02 AM, Dec. 17, 2011
Written by Joy Juedes

INDIO — A Los Angeles man was convicted Friday of rape and other felonies for attacking a woman at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, where he was working as a parking lot attendant.

Darin Ledale Garrett, 46, could face at least 20 years behind bars when sentenced Feb. 24.

An Indio jury deliberated for less than a day before convicting Garrett of rape by force, forced sexual penetration, sexual battery and rape and sexual penetration of an intoxicated woman in connection with the April 30 attack.

The jury reduced a charge of oral copulation by force to battery.

The woman testified in the trial last week that a parking lot attendant at the festival helped her find a friend's car, then forced himself on her, held her to the ground and raped her.

“He pushed me down on my back on the ground. I'm pushing and telling him to stop and he just keeps telling me it's fine.”

She said she began to cry, begged him to stop and began to call for help.

“I could hear the music from the concert and just hoped someone would be coming soon,” the 23-year-old Los Angeles woman said.

She said she heard someone coming, and her attacker got up and walked away.

“I remember a woman rush up and ask if I was hurt. I was sobbing,” she said.

The rape occurred about 9:50 p.m. on opening night of Stagecoach at Indio's Empire Polo Grounds.

The victim said she had seven or eight drinks and was “feeling the buzz” that night.

She thanked Garrett, he exposed himself and did not leave when she told him she wasn't interested. Then he raped her.

Deputy District Attorney Brijida Rodarte told jurors in her opening statement that nurses found bruises on the victim's body, and DNA matching Garrett's was collected during the rape exam.

The woman later picked Garrett out of a photo lineup, the prosecutor said.

Garrett was arrested the day after the attack in his room at the Palm Tree Inn.

He testified this week that he did not attack the woman, saying he lent her his cell phone, helped her find a friend's car and then left.

He said the woman seemed intoxicated when she approached him in the parking lot and asked to use his cell phone. He let her use it to call a friend, then she embraced him, he testified.

“We hugged and kissed,” he said.

He said she leaned back on the hood of someone's car, and he pulled her to her feet.

“I picked her up off that car and then we started walking toward the (friend's) vehicle,” he said. “I said, I'm going back to my (station) and we split up.”

He said he went back to her when he heard her say she found the vehicle.

Garrett testified that he told her to sit where her friends could see her.

In a videotaped interview shown in court, Garrett told Indio Police Detective Oscar Santos that he “stayed visible” that night and “didn't do nothing.”

“She said you had sex with her,” Santos said in the video, telling Garrett the woman had a physical examination.

“I didn't do none of that because I was working,” Garrett responded.

[Rose]

I vote the 20 years. Hopefully the Judge will consider that the convicted person was in a position of "trust".

[gaypalmsprings]

Man sentenced to 12 years for raping woman at Stagecoach Music Festival

12:09 PM, Feb. 24, 2012
Written by JOY JUEDES

A Los Angeles man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for raping a woman at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, where he was working as a parking lot attendant.

Darin Ledale Garrett, 46, was convicted Dec. 16 of rape by force, sexual battery and other charges stemming from the April 30, 2011, attack.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge David B. Downing also sentenced Garrett to three months in jail for a felony battery charge.

The victim did not attend or speak at the sentencing. Garrett spoke briefly, as did several of his family members.

"I just wanted to say to (the victim's) family that I'm very sorry," Garrett said. "I worked with the public all the time ... and this thing would never happen again."

The woman testified in the trial that a parking lot attendant at Stagecoach helped her find a friend's car, then forced himself on her, held her to the ground and raped her last spring.

"I was still hoping to make him go away and I didn't know what I was going to do," she said. "He pushed me down on my back on the ground; I'm pushing and telling him to stop and he just keeps telling me it's fine."

She said she began to cry, begged him to stop and called for help.

"I could hear the music from the concert and just hoped someone would be coming soon," said the Los Angeles woman, who is in her early 20s.

She said she heard someone coming, and her attacker got up and walked away.

"I remember a woman rush up and ask if I was hurt. I was sobbing," she said. "(I told) her that he raped me, that was all I could say."

The rape occurred around 9:50 p.m. on the opening night of Stagecoach, which is held annually at Indio's Empire Polo Grounds.

The woman testified that she became separated from her companions at the music festival and Garrett helped her find a friend's car. She said she had had seven or eight drinks and was "feeling the buzz" that night.

She said that after she thanked Garrett, he exposed himself and would not leave when she told him she wasn't interested. She testified that he pulled her shirt down, groped her, had her fellate him, pulled down her shorts and raped her.

Deputy District Attorney Brijida Rodarte told jurors in her opening statement that nurses later found bruises on the victim's body, and DNA matching Garrett's was collected during the rape exam. The woman later picked Garrett out of a photo lineup, the prosecutor said.

Garrett was arrested the day after the attack in his room at the Palm Tree Inn. He testified that he did not attack the woman but, rather, lent her his cellphone, helped her find a friend's car and then left.

He said the woman seemed intoxicated when she approached him in the parking lot at the festival and asked to use his cell phone. He let her use it to call a friend, then she embraced him, he testified.

"We hugged and kissed," he said.

He said she leaned back on the hood of someone's car, and he pulled her to her feet.

"I picked her up off that car and then we started walking toward the (friend's) vehicle," he said. "... I said, I'm going back to my (station) and we split up."

He said he went back to her when he heard her say she found the vehicle. Garrett testified that he told her to sit where her friends could see her.

In a videotaped interview shown in court, Garrett told Indio Police Detective Oscar Santos that he "stayed visible" that night and "didn't do nothing."

"She said you had sex with her," Santos said in the video, telling Garrett the woman had a physical examination.

"I didn't do none of that because I was working," Garrett responded.

[keebzie]

Only 12? God... I just dont understand how someone could do that to another person. It's sickness. And one of the saddest parts is Stagecoach will be forever ruined for the victim