SAN DIEGO — The teenager accused of kidnapping and trying to rape a 16-year-old girl in Lincoln Acres in July appeared in juvenile court Monday morning for his arraignment.
Members of the media were not allowed inside the courtroom for the hearing. However, CBS 8 spoke to the teen's attorney and his family outside the courthouse. According to his family, the 17-year-old is a senior at Sweetwater High School.
“He’s a good boy, we're just moving forward with this to get the situation addressed,” said the suspect’s father. Other family members told CBS 8 the suspect is "a good kid."
"He’s a very young, quiet and shy boy. The accusations are serious. They’re out of character with who he is," said the suspect's attorney, John Rodriguez.
According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the suspect faces charges of kidnapping to commit rape or robbery, assault with intent to commit rape, and assault by means likely to cause bodily injury and robbery.
"We're going to fight these charges," said Rodriguez.
The suspect was arrested August 11. Sheriff's deputies said he surrendered to authorities in Mission Valley.
Investigators released surveillance images of a male they said was responsible for attacking and attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl near the 2900 block of Prospect Street July 26.
Deputies said the victim told deputies she was tackled to the ground by a male, but she fought him off and ran away. She said he tackled her again and tried to rape her. According to investigators, a Good Samaritan intervened. However, the suspect was able to get away with her cell phone.
"I have to wait until I get all of the discovery. Once I do that we can address the evidence," said Rodriguez. "We can deal with the accuracy the credibility of it."
The suspect remains in juvenile custody. It appears this case will remain in the juvenile system.
A spokesperson for the San Diego County District Attorney's office told CBS 8 it will not be petitioning for this case to be transferred to adult court.
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