Fresno rape suspect ID’d, left backpack at crime scene

A former Bulldog gang member was arrested Tuesday for allegedly locking a woman in the bathroom at her job site and raping her, police said.

Fresno police Lt. Joe Gomez said the assault was reported Feb. 24 at the Super Clean Laundromat at 4807 E. Olive Ave. Police learned that the woman, described as in her 30s, was cleaning the bathroom when a man entered. The man, who wore a piece of cloth to conceal his face and a hooded sweatshirt, threatened the woman with a knife and raped her.

Police found the personal information of Ernesto Olivas, 29, in a backpack left at the crime scene. Olivas, who was wanted for a felony parole violation, was arrested Tuesday for the warrant. Gomez said that Olivas confessed to raping the woman to detectives shortly after his arrest.

The case marks Fresno’s first reported stranger rape in 2015, Gomez said. Two such cases were reported in 2014, and arrests were made in both.

This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Fresno rape suspect ID’d, left backpack at crime scene."