New charges have been added in the case against a man accused in a sexual assault in Ocean Beach.
Richard Butts, 25, was arrested on Mar. 24, accused of kidnapping, beating and raping a woman as she walked home from a friend's house on Long Branch Avenue.
A neighbor called 911 that night to report that a woman was screaming in the area, allegedly being attacked in an attempted rape. Once authorities arrived at the scene, the unidentified victim was taken to a local hospital wearing a neck brace.
Butts, who's an OB resident, was booked into the George Bailey Detention Facility on several charges including kidnapping with intent to commit robbery and sexual assault, forcible oral copulation and assault with intent to commit rape.
During an arraignment on Mar. 27, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
On Wednesday, Butts appeared in court again to face even more charges linked to second sexual attack in the same area.
Prosecutors say Butts allegedly raped a second woman in Ocean Beach on Aug. 25, 2012, near Bacon and Voltaire Streets. In both cases, investigators say Butts used similar tactics to attack his victims.
“Not only was the M.O. the same, but the pulling [of the] victim’s sweatshirt over her head and eyes so he couldn’t see her in the attack; that was the same in both cases,” said prosecutor Wendy Patrick.
In both instances, Patrick said Butts came up behind his victims, dragged them to secluded areas and sexually assaulted them. Both sex crimes were interrupted by neighbors who alerted police.
Butts has now been charged with kidnapping and forcibly raping a second victim, in addition to the charges filed against him in last month's attack.
He faces 50 years to life in prison if convicted.
In court on Wednesday, a judge raised Butts’ bail from $300,000 to $1.5 million.
He’s scheduled to appear in court again on May 22 for a readiness hearing and again on Jun. 28 for a preliminary hearing.
