DUBLIN — A rape case against a Dublin man lasted less than all of two weeks, after prosecutors moved to dismiss charges “in the interest of justice” against the man accused of sexually assaulting a sex worker.
Ricardo Tijero, 38, was charged on Nov. 22 with rape and forcible oral copulation of a woman he reportedly admitted to meeting through a prostitution website. But on Dec. 2, prosecutors dismissed the charges and indicated to the court they’d throw out a parole revocation petition against Tijero as well, records show.
The case against Tijero was spurred by a woman who called police to report that her sister was being held against her will at Tijero’s home on 7th Street in Union City – the sister had managed to send a coded text alerting her. The alleged victim later accused Tijero of sexually assaulting her, which he denied, records show.
The alleged incident occurred on Nov. 3. But it was the second time in the previous month that Union City police had been called to the home for a suspicious incident involving prostitution, court records show.
On Oct. 12, a woman who also lives at the 7th Street residence called police to report that a car containing a man and two females who looked like prostitutes were outside, behaving suspiciously. When police arrived, a woman in the vehicle said that she’d recently gone to the home for a “hi and bye” with Tijero — who she referred to as “Big Body” – but that he’d stolen $250 from her, records show.
Police began investigating the allegation, but quickly became sidetracked when they realized that the second female in the loitering vehicle was a 15-year-old girl.
That quickly became a human trafficking investigation against the man driving the car, a 41-year-old San Joaquin County man who was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, human trafficking, and child molestation, but has not yet been charged, authorities said.
Despite the dismissal, Tijero remains in custody due to a parole violation and separate cases alleging petty theft and possession of drugs and burglary tools, records show. He is next due in court on Dec. 31.
