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Man pleads guilty to rape

Christina Proctor

A registered sex offender charged with raping a 20-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman plead guilty Friday after a judge ruled that a prior sexual battery conviction could be admitted by the prosecution in the new trial.

Manuel Pina, 38, of South Lake Tahoe, had been out on parole for less than four months when he assaulted the daughter of his girlfriend in her home.

On Friday, Pina plead guilty to two counts of rape, attempted sodomy, penetration, oral copulation, and child endangerment. He is facing a maximum of 39 years and four months in state prison. His sentencing is set for March 9.



According to police reports, on Nov. 12, around 1 a.m., Pina entered the victim’s residence through an unlocked front door. The victim told police that Pina beat her and sexually assaulted her, while her child, an infant, was in the room in a bassinet.

The victim feigned sleep after the attack until Pina fell asleep. She then left the apartment to call 911. Police arrested Pina at the victim’s residence around 2:33 a.m.



Before his release in August from Avenal State Prison, Pina was serving a five-year term for a conviction in El Dorado Superior Court for sexual battery and false imprisonment. In October of 1992, he assaulted a 16-year-old South Lake Tahoe girl in his car at Regan Beach. According to court records, Pina offered the girl a ride home from a local theater. After going to a convenience store to buy beer, he drove the girl to Regan Beach. The girl finally managed to escape from the car and run for help.

Pina also served time in 1985 for a felony conviction of vehicle theft in Fresno County.

Tahoe Daily Tribune E-mail: tribune@tahoe.com

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