HANFORD, Calif. – Police in Central California have arrested a man accused of raping his 16-year-old girlfriend and beating her with a tire iron over the course of five days.
Hanford police say 19-year-old Eddie Perez was taken into custody on Saturday night.
Sgt. Justin Vallin says the girl's family reported that she had run away about two weeks ago from Avenal. Investigators believe she was with Perez, but the relationship turned violent when he accused her of cheating on him several days ago.
Vallin says Perez held the girl in his car, and she was able to signal a passerby for help on Friday afternoon while he was away.
She was in stable condition at a hospital on Sunday. Vallin did not know whether Perez had an attorney.
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