Oxnard Registered Sex Offender Gets Life In Prison

Friday August 05, 2022

     Update--A registered sex offender from Oxnard is headed to state prison for what will be the rest of his life for kidnapping a woman in the Ojai Valley with the intent to rape her.

     The judge Friday sentenced 55-year-old James Apodaca to 75-years-to-life in prison.

     A jury in June spent less than a day before they convicted him on all counts in connection with the crime that happened in August of 2021 in Oak View.

     On that night, Apodaca forced a woman into the trunk of his car.

     Prosecutors say she was rescued after a citizen heard her screams for help and alerted a deputy sheriff in the area who stopped the vehicle and then chased Apodaca on foot. 

     They say Apodaca threatened the deputy with a metal pipe but was finally taken into custody after the deputy deployed a Taser.

     The jury found Apodaca guilty of kidnapping with the intent to commit rape, assault on a peace officer, second-degree robbery, and several other crimes.

     Apodaca testified at his trial.