After an extensive investigation by Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III’s Cold Case Unit and New Bedford Police detectives, a 47-year-old former Dartmouth man currently serving a prison sentence in Texas was indicted last week for a string of sexual assaults which occurred in New Bedford in 2013.

Orlando Robles was indicted by a Bristol County Grand Jury last week on the following charges:

1.    Three counts of Rape
2.    Two counts of Assault with Intent to Rape
3.    One count of Kidnapping
4.    One count of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Person Over the Age of 14
5.    Two counts of Assault and Battery
6.    One count of Use of a Motor Vehicle During a Felony

“I’m very pleased to announce this defendant was indicted by the Grand Jury for a series of sexual assaults that put the community at fear due to the violent and random nature of the attacks. This investigation once again highlights the efforts of our Cold Case Unit, working cooperatively with New Bedford Detective Stephen Taylor, to solve these very serious crimes,” District Attorney Quinn said. “Our Cold Case Unit will continue to review and investigate homicides and violent sexual assaults that remain unsolved by utilizing all investigative means, including advanced DNA technology.”

In June and July of 2013, four women were brutally assaulted in New Bedford.  

In the first incident, on June 7, 2013, at approximately 10 PM, a 19-year-old woman was walking on County Street near Weld Street in New Bedford when a man in a dark blue pickup truck passed her and then pulled over in front of her.  

The driver called out to get her attention and asked her if she wanted a ride.  The man told her he was driving in the same direction she was walking and was going to pick up his daughter.  Thinking she could trust him, the woman got in the truck.   The man did not stop where the woman was going but proceeded to drive to various other parts of the north end of New Bedford and into Dartmouth, including the airport.  At one point he stopped and said: “Time to get out, I need to see.”  

Sensing something was wrong, the woman tried to get out of the car, but the man pulled her back in.  He put his hands around her neck and began to strangle her.  He tried putting his hands in her pants but was unable to do so.  He punched her in the head multiple times.  Finally, the woman was able to break free, and exit the truck.  The man continued to attack her, holding her down on the ground while she pleaded with him to stop and he continually told her “Shut up, I told you to shut up!”  The assailant ultimately released the woman, got up, and drove off in his truck.  After she was able to get the help of the police, they noticed numerous injuries consistent with her description.  She provided them with some information regarding the man and his truck, and police were able to corroborate aspects of what she said by observing surveillance video, but they were initially unable to develop any leads or identify any suspects.

In the second incident, on June 29, 2013, at around midnight, a 37-year-old woman, who had been out for the evening in Dartmouth, Fall River, and finally New Bedford, returned home around midnight.  She had called her son shortly before leaving Cork Win and Tapas in New Bedford, the last place she had visited.  After pulling into her driveway on Norwell Street, she reached over for her purse when the door to her car opened.  Initially thinking that it was her son (whom she had called to ask to leave the front door open), she quickly realized she was under attack and a man had grabbed her face with two hands, putting two fingers in her mouth and grabbing her tongue, preventing her from yelling.  As they struggled, the man continued to push the woman back into the car and put his fingers inside of the woman’s vagina.  This caused the woman to fight even harder, and she was able to strike back at the man by poking him in his eye.  The man retreated and ran away.  At this point, the woman’s son had heard the commotion and the two of them chased the man to stop him, but he had gotten away.

In the third incident, on July 7, 2013, a 30-year-old woman was assaulted near her home on Woodlawn Street.  She had returned home after spending some time at the 908 Club in downtown New Bedford and then driving to the McDonald’s on Dartmouth Street.  When she exited her car, she could see a person walking in the street toward her.  She turned to get something from the car when the person, a man, grabbed her from behind.  He grabbed her by the throat and pushed her into the car.  He then put his hands inside of her shorts and put his finger inside of her anus.  At this point, the woman bit the man’s finger, at which point he stopped attacking her and ran away in the direction of Brock Avenue.  

After the third assault, police were able to recover surveillance footage from a video camera that had captured a man running away from Woodlawn Street towards Brock Avenue at precisely the time the woman had indicated.  He was observed to be running and getting into a truck, which appeared to be a small pick-up truck.  Investigation revealed that the truck’s shape and