Salinas transient gets 10 years for defying court order to register as sex offender
Area of Russell Road where Officer Cruz pursued the suspect in a stolen car last year
SALINAS — The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office and Judge Julie R. Culver have sentenced 36-year-old transient Richard Rocha to 10 years in state prison.
Rocha, who frequents the Salinas area, failed his annual task of registering as a sex offender and was also caught in a stolen vehicle last year.
About a year ago, Salinas police responded to a report of a residential burglary during which a vehicle was stolen. The next morning, Rocha was discovered by Salinas Police Officer Edwin Cruz driving the stolen car in the North Salinas neighborhood.
Officer Cruz attempted a stop but Rocha tried to escape.
The officer pursued Rocha down Russell Road, sometimes reaching over 70 MPH. The chase ended rather abruptly when Rocha lost control of the vehicle, crashed, and fled on foot.
He was shortly discovered hiding in a treehouse, at which point several officers and a K9 unit pulled him down and took him into custody.
Rocha has been required to register as a sex offender every year since 1998, when he was convicted of child molestation. He had in fact just completed a stint in Monterey County Jail for not registering and was only five days released.
Records indicate that the last time he upheld this requirement was August 26, 2014.
