Calif. police accuse man of slashing juvenile’s throat after rape

A central California man suspected of sexually assaulting a juvenile and slashing the child’s throat in the laundry room of an apartment complex earlier this month has been arrested, police announced this week.
Arthur Dean Knapp, 40, is being held at the Madera County jail on a slew of charges, including rape and attempted murder, jail records show. Police in Chowchilla, a city of less-than 20,000 people about 40 miles northwest of Fresno, arrested Knapp on Aug. 1 – the same day that the crime was reported.
Chowchilla Police Chief Jeff Palmer identified Knapp as the suspect during a Tuesday press conference in the same week that Knapp had been formally indicted.
“I want to extend our agency’s and our city officials’ sorrow to the victim, as well as their family, for having to endure such a tragic, and horrific assault upon them,” Palmer said during the news conference, “an assault carried out by a monster who should not have been walking our streets and should never walk any streets freely again.”
The brutal attack took place in a laundry room shared by residents of an apartment complex in Chowchilla.
Palmer, who described the attack as a crime of opportunity, said Knapp was not a resident of the apartment and it was unclear if he had any prior relationship with the victim.
After the sexual assault, Knapp is accused of slitting the juvenile’s throat and leaving the youth for dead. But once the victim regained consciousness, the child was able to alert authorities before receiving treatment and surgery at a nearby children’s hospital, Palmer said.
“This attempt to take this victim’s life was unsuccessful; the reason it was unsuccessful was because the suspect counted on the victim to be weak,” Palmer said. “He counted wrong. In fact, the victim was so strong, they picked themself up and was able to report what had happened.”
Investigators relied on witness statements and DNA evidence from a rape kit provided to the U.S. Department of Justice to link Knapp to the crime, Palmer said. Police officials indicated Tuesday the young victim is recovering from the injuries sustained in the attack and will survive.
“Cases like this cannot happen to our children,” Palmer said. “Cases like this in smaller cities like ours are very personal to all of us.”
If convicted as charged, Knapp could face the possibility of life in prison without parole, Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno said Tuesday.
In addition to rape and attempted murder, Knapp is charged with parole violations and assault with a deadly weapon.
Knapp also has prior offenses on his record that could increase the severity of any sentence he receives, Moreno added.
“We are prepared to do everything we need to do to make sure the community stays safe and justice is served,” Moreno told reporters.
Knapp was arraigned Tuesday in court, where he pleaded not guilty to the indictment – a standard procedure at this point in the criminal justice process. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 23 for a preliminary hearing, online court records show.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]