Man accused of assaults of 6 victims since 2018
30 counts follow arrest on suspicion of raping teen
A man arrested last month on suspicion of raping a teenage girl has been indicted on 30 felony counts involving six victims, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
James Christopher Estep, 32, of Mesa, has been indicted on 20 counts of sexual assault, as well as on charges related to kidnapping, aggravated assault and theft, the County Attorney’s Office said on Friday. The six victims were attacked in Mesa and Tempe between September 2018 and this past August, according to the County Attorney’s Office.
On Aug. 22, a 15-year-old girl came forward about being raped earlier that date, charging documents show. The girl said her assailant was an unknown man whose white SUV she had entered after he asked to give her a ride at a light rail station at Main Street and Alma School Road, according to court documents. Her account was supported by video surveillance from the light rail station, court documents show.
The girl said the man took her about 2 miles away where he attempted to strangle her and punched her face and head, removed her pants and sexually assaulted her multiple times, court documents said. She showed injuries to her face, eyes, head and neck, according to court documents. The victim fled from the perpetrator after he took her cellphone and ordered her to get out of his vehicle before he drove off, court documents show.
According to charging documents, police learned area law enforcement was on Estep’s trail and that he matched the description of the light rail station case suspect. Court documents said Estep’s cellphone was being tracked by law enforcement investigating another case where he was a suspect. Estep’s movements and cellphone records matched the girl’s account, according to charging documents.
On Aug. 23, Tempe police took Estep into custody at his home, according to court documents. Estep is being held in jail custody on a $50,000 cash-only bond, according to the County Attorney’s Office.
Court records show at least 22 of the crimes Estep is suspected of committing took place this year. Publicly available criminal records show Estep has intermittently resided in Mesa since at least 2013 and has also resided in Phoenix and Pinetop in Navajo County.
Estep was arrested in May 2021 in connection with a Mesa police investigation before he was released after the County Attorney’s Office dropped charges against him, The Arizona Republic previously reported.