One Man Arrested for Attempted Kidnapping, Another for Sex With Minor
Photo: Waiel Ismael Rafoshamasha
Fountain Valley officers have recently made two arrests involving adult males preying on female victims.
The first was an attempted kidnapping on January 25, 2020. The female victim told officers she was walking east in the 8500 block of Warner Avenue in Fountain Valley, when a man drove up beside her and repeatedly asked if she needed a ride. She said no each time.
“The suspect then exited his vehicle, began to follow the victim and attempted to grab and pick her up,” according to the post on the Fountain Valley Police Department’s Facebook page.
The victim was able to fight back and get away, causing the suspect to flee.
Officers identified the suspect as 23-year-old Waiel Ismael Rafoshamasha of El Cajon, who was driving a gray 2004 BMW 528. He was found in Huntington Beach and arrested for attempted kidnapping. “Rafoshamasha is known to travel between Sacramento and San Diego,” according to the release.
In another Facebook post, the Fountain Valley Police Department wrote about a second arrest, which involved a 26-year-old registered sex offender who was having sex with a 15-year-old female high school student.
Fountain Valley Police Detectives identified the suspect as Ohad Kyle Benabou of Westminster, a sex registrant on probation for a previous indecent exposure conviction.
The suspect had initiated conversations with the girl in an online chat room. Posting as an 18-year-old high school student, “Benabou initiated a sexual conversation with her and arranged to meet with the female on several occasions for sexual encounters,” according to the post.
Detectives partnered with Orange County Probation Officers to track the suspect’s whereabouts. He was located in and arrested in Long Beach. The multiple charges against Benabou include sex with a minor and lewd and lascivious acts with a child. He is being held at Orange County Jail on $265,000 bail.
