California man accused of slitting teen’s throat after sexual assault: police

A Central California man suspected of sexually assaulting a teenager and slitting his throat in an apartment complex laundry room earlier this month has been arrested, police announced this week.

Arthur Dean Knapp, 40, is being held in the Madera County Jail on a variety of charges, including rape and attempted murder, jail records show. Police in Chowchilla, a town of fewer than 20,000 residents about 40 miles northwest of Fresno, arrested Knapp on Aug. 1 – the same day the crime was reported.

Chowchilla Police Chief Jeff Palmer identified Knapp as a suspect during a news conference Tuesday, the same week Knapp was formally charged.

“I want to extend the grief of our department and our city officials to the victim and his family for having to endure such a tragic and horrific attack on them,” Palmer said during the press conference by a monster that should not have been walking our streets and should never walk freely through the streets again.”

The attack occurred in the laundry room of the Chowchilla apartment complex

The brutal attack occurred in a laundry room shared by residents of an apartment complex in Chowchilla.

Palmer, who called the attack a crime of opportunity, said Knapp was not a resident of the apartment and it was unclear whether he had a prior relationship with the victim.

After the sexual assault, Knapp is accused of slitting the teen’s throat and leaving him to die. But once the victim regained consciousness, the child was able to alert authorities before being treated and operated on at a nearby children’s hospital, Palmer said.

“This attempt to take the life of this victim was unsuccessful; the reason it was unsuccessful was because the suspect expected the victim to be weak,” Palmer said. “He counted wrong. In fact, the victim was so strong that he got up and was able to report what had happened.”

Investigators relied on witness statements and DNA evidence from a rape kit provided to the U.S. Department of Justice to link Knapp to the crime, Palmer said. Police officials said Tuesday that the young victim is recovering from injuries sustained in the attack and will survive.

“Such cases cannot happen to our children,” Palmer said. “Cases like this in smaller towns like ours are very personal to all of us.”

Knapp faces a life sentence without parole

If convicted as charged, Knapp could face life in prison without parole, Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno said Tuesday.

In addition to rape and attempted murder, Knapp is charged with probation violations and assault with a deadly weapon.

Knapp also has previous crimes on his record that could increase the severity of any sentence imposed on him, Moreno added.

“We are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure the community remains safe and justice is served,” Moreno told reporters.

Knapp was arraigned in court on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty, according to the indictment – a standard procedure at this point in the criminal process. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 23, online court records show.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and breaking news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arthur Dean Knapp is accused of slitting the throat and raping a California child