A judge set bail at $150,000 for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman and attacking another woman.
Garth Clem, 37, appeared in a Vista courtroom on Monday and pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including assault with intent to commit rape and sexual battery.
Prosecutors in court outlined the graphic and bizarre allegations against Clem, a North County real estate agent and former Camp Pendleton Marine.
Clem and his girlfriend went to the Prominence Apartments on Feb. 24 on S. Twin Oaks Valley Road after meeting two women at a nearby restaurant.
Once inside, prosecutors say Clem sexually assaulted one of the women and got into a physical fight with his girlfriend.
Prosecutors said Clem groped one of the women and when she went to the bathroom, he followed her. She asked him to leave and, as prosecutors allege, he put her in a headlock.
She was able to escape. But then, prosecutors said, Clem went after his own girlfriend.
Local
“He took a belt from his pants. He hit her repeatedly,” a deputy district attorney said. “He then ripped off her clothing and punched her repeatedly. She was able to escape from the apartment and yell for help.”
Clem was arrested that night after the two women escaped the apartment and alerted deputies to the ordeal.
