Police Thursday arrested a 21-year-old man on suspicion of raping and beating unconscious a 73-year-old woman collecting aluminum cans behind a Garden Grove business complex.
Patrick Daniel Piceno was linked to the May crime through DNA evidence found at the scene, police said. He was being held at Orange County Jail on suspicion of forcible rape and attempted murder with bail set at $1 million.
Police said Piceno, a warehouse worker who lived about a quarter-mile from the business complex in the 13500 block of Harbor Boulevard, attacked the woman from behind about 5:40 a.m. on May 31. The woman, who was not identified, was found unconscious by sanitation workers.
She suffered severe physical and emotional trauma, Handfield said.
Piceno is scheduled for arraignment at West Justice Center in Westminster on Monday.
