Gardena detectives are now talking with a third alleged victim who believes she was sexually assaulted by a 40-year-old Redondo Beach man accused of trapping a woman inside his sport utility vehicle under the guise of a job interview.
Charges of rape and sexual assault were filed earlier this month against Corey Delaine Stewart, who pleaded not guilty to raping a Gardena woman he met on social networking site Tagged.com.
He is also charged with the sexual assault of a minor, a runaway girl who was 11 years old and working as a prostitute when the alleged assault occurred in 2005, police said Monday.
The latest victim, police said, told them she met Stewart while he was working as a cable installer about two years ago.
"We talked with her last week, she has probably the most disturbing story," said Detective Michael Ross, with the Gardena Police Department. "Apparently she suffered pretty extensive injuries from that attack."
Gardena police arrested Stewart in late February when DNA evidence linked him to the sexual assault of a woman who said she met Stewart online. After corresponding for several weeks, the woman told police she agreed to meet Stewart when he offered to help her find a job.
The victim told police that when she entered Stewart's vehicle – possibly an older model, dark Ford Explorer – she was unable to get out because the locks had been disabled.
The victim that police are now interviewing gave a similar account.
"She wanted to get out, he told her no. She tried to open the doors, like the description of the first car we had. She couldn't open the doors. She couldn't unlock them," Ross said.
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Police called Stewart a serial rapist and believe more victims are out there.
After learning Stewart may have taken his victims to motels, police are now handing out flyers with Stewart's photo and possible vehicle to motel owners in the South Bay and Long Beach area.
"We showed them to the owners seeing if they recognized him and then asked them to put to flyers up hoping those who frequent the hotels might recognize him," Ross said.
Stewart is being held on $2 million bail. If convicted, he faces at least two life sentences with the possibility of parole if convicted.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 11.
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