Registered sex offender accused of San Leandro rape near Bayfair BART

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ByEric Thomas KGO logo
Saturday, January 7, 2017
Sex offender accused of rape near Bayfair BART
Meini Foster, a registered sex offender is now accused of raping a woman near the Bayfair BART station in San Leandro. January 6, 2017

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KGO) -- A man accused of kidnapping and raping a woman at the Bayfair BART station was in court Friday.

Prosecutors say 27-year-old transient, Meini Foster, attacked a woman in her mid-twenties just a week before Christmas. The woman was taking BART home around midnight after having a few drinks at an after work party in the area.

The woman told police she was dragged by Foster about a quarter mile to the railroad tracks behind a local KFC and raped her.

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"At about 3 o'clock in the morning, covered in mud, she managed to go to a nearby neighborhood. She banged on a door and sought help," said Lt. Robert McManus with the San Leandro police. Investigators took DNA from the victim and matched it to the accused.

Foster is now facing multiple felony charges including kidnapping with the intent to commit sexual assault and other assault related crimes.

"If convicted of all the charges filed against him by the Alameda County DA's office, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole," said McManus.

Foster is on probation from a case in San Francisco where he was convicted of lewd behavior on a MUNI bus. He was ordered to register as a sex offender but strangely he does not appear on the states Megan's Law website.

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San Leandro police expressed their concern about his omission but say now that Foster is in custody. Officers want to turn their focus on helping the victim.

"This is probably one of the worst crimes that anybody can be exposed to-so you can imagine how traumatic it must be," said McManus.

Police say the case is so traumatic that they are not releasing information to spare the victim pain.