Police identified 29-year-old Milton Meza through DNA evidence discovered after the assaults.
The first incident happened on McKee Road near Interstate 680 on Sept. 7 around 11:30 p.m. Prosecutors say the 18-year-old victim was walking home from work along the sidewalk when a suspect grabbed her and pulled her into some bushes. They say he choked her, smashed her head against the ground, threatened to kill her and sexually assaulted her.
The victim was helped by a passerby who saw her waving from a median strip.
The second victim, a 20-year-old woman, was also walking home from work around 11:15 p.m. on Oct. 1 when she was attacked. Prosecutors say she was talking on the phone with her boyfriend when a suspect pulled her into the bushes, but she managed to get away and run for help.
"He's in jail right now," prosecutor Clarissa Hamilton said. "He's charged with rape, he's charged with kidnapping. He's also charged with assault with the intent to commit rape and he's in on no bail so he's not getting out and the rest of the women out there are safe."
Harrison says the case shows the combination of good policing and the effectiveness of DNA databases.
Meza is scheduled to appear in court on January 21.
(Bay City News contributed to this report)
