Redmond man arrested in Prineville rape case

A 19-year-old man was arrested Thursday during a raid on his northwest Redmond townhouse, accused of raping a woman in a van in Prineville nearly two weeks ago, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

Deputies, assisted by Redmond police and the Oregon State Police Crime Lab, executed a search warrant Thursday at the home of Juan Manuel Retano at 2533 Northwest Cedar Avenue in Redmond, said sheriff’s Sgt. James Savage.

His arrest stemmed from an investigation that began on Sept. 12, when a Prineville woman reported being raped in a van in the area of South Main Street in Prineville, Savage said.

Deputies located the crime scene the next day and “collected significant evidence at that time,” the sergeant said in a news release.

The involved vehicle was found at the site of Thursday’s raid, Savage said, along with evidence consistent with the victim’s report and the deputies’ investigation of the crime scene.

Retano was booked into the Crook County Jail in Prineville on first-degree charges of rape, sex abuse and harassment. His bail totals $160,000.

Savage said the sheriff’s office wants to thank Redmond police and the OSP crime lab for their help in the investigation.