A 34-year-old man suspected of kidnapping a woman from the parking lot of an Orangevale Walmart and then raping her might have harassed other women the night of the attack, according to authorities.
Orangevale resident Joseph Lee Bonderer was booked Thursday at the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of rape, sodomy, penetration by a foreign object and kidnapping – all felonies – in connection with the Wednesday night assault, according to jail booking records. He is being held in lieu of $1.5million bail.
Detectives believe he had been thrown out of an area business that night for harassing women there, and might have been the subject of a complaint to a Walmart manager that a man in the parking lot was chasing women, said sheriff’s Sgt. Lisa Bowman.
The victim, a woman in her early 40s, was leaving the Walmart parking lot, located on the 8900 block of Greenback Lane, about 10:50 p.m. when a man she did not know jumped into her car, claimed he had a gun and ordered her to drive out of the parking lot, Bowman said.
Fearing her life was at risk, the woman followed the man’s orders and drove to a nearby location, where the man sexually assaulted her, Bowman said, and the man then ordered the victim to return to Walmart, where he got out of the car and ran.
Despite the threat, no gun was ever seen, Bowman said.
Detectives zeroed in on Bonderer after deputies visited a local business while looking for leads. An employee at the business said a man had been thrown out earlier in the evening because of the way he was “degrading” women there, Bowman said. Deputies found Bonderer’s name because he had his driver’s license scanned to purchase alcohol there, Bowman said.
Deputies arrested Bonderer early Thursday morning and booked him that afternoon.
Authorities said the incident is a reminder to be vigilant about personal safety.
Bonderer has no criminal history in Sacramento County, according to Superior Court records available online. Orange Superior Court online records show he was charged with using a cellphone while driving in 2011, though the outcome of that case was not immediately clear Friday.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at (916)874-5115.
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