Men accused of keeping girl in metal box due in court this week
Two men who prosecutors say kidnapped a 15-year-old girl and kept her in metal box on a rural Northern California property are due in federal court this week.
Ryan Alan Balletto, 30, and Patrick Steven Pearmain, 25, face numerous charges and are scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday, officials said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement released this weekend that the girl was sexually assaulted repeatedly during her captivity. In court documents unsealed this month, prosecutors allege the pair forced the girl to “trim,” or cut up marijuana for drying.
The two were were arrested on suspicion of unlawful intercourse with a minor under 16 years of age, oral copulation, sodomy, false imprisonment and molestation, according to the Sheriff’s Department statement.
Deputies also found numerous weapons.
“This has been the largest and most sophisticated bulk of weapons seized in recent Lake County sheriff’s office history,” the Sheriff’s Department said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had been investigating Balletto’s 680-acre property in Lakeport since December 2011, court documents showed.
Balletto and Pearmain pleaded not guilty last week to charges of federal conspiracy to distribute marijuana, using a minor in a drug operation and possession of a firearm to further drug trafficking.
Lake County Dist. Atty. Don Anderson said Friday that his office initially filed its own criminal charges against Balletto and Pearmain. But after consulting with the U.S. attorney’s office, he dropped those charges until the federal case moved forward.
“We’re going to hold back and let our victim recuperate and feel better about herself, and then look more into the sex crimes,” he said.
The girl was reported missing April 2 from a San Fernando Valley home, according to the LAPD. Cmdr. Andy Smith said detectives believe she was living on the streets of Hollywood when she came in contact with Balletto.
A few weeks later, LAPD detectives received a tip that the girl was being held inside some kind of box at an undisclosed location in Northern California. The detectives eventually learned that she was in Lake County with Balletto and informed authorities there.
But before Lake County sheriff’s officials could raid Balletto’s property, they got a call from the girl, records show. She told them she was fine and staying with Balletto. A detective traced the call to a hotel, and authorities there found her in a room with Pearmain.
Authorities say they collected a bag full of marijuana, prescription drugs, condoms and a pregnancy test from the hotel room. Pearmain also had a notebook on him that had an apparent script for the girl to read to police over the phone, authorities say.
Then authorities raided the marijuana farm. “It was kind of like opening Pandora’s box,” said Lake County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dennis Ostini.
They said they found 1,200 marijuana plants, guns and other items. But the most horrifying discovery was the metal box the girl told authorities she was kept in. She told police the men made her stay in it on two occasions for a total of three days, court records show.
Spray-painted on the outside was the first letter of the girl’s name. Inside was a decal that “depicted an animal skull surrounding the shadow image of a human skull with the logo ‘Bone Collector,’” according to the court documents.
The men put a hose through one of the holes to clean the girl and wash out the human waste inside, prosecutors alleged. Inside the box investigators found human hair and a poem the girl had written about being held inside the box.
A “rack” allegedly used for bondage and sex toys were also found on the property. Authorities alleged in court papers that Balletto called the girl a “trouper” because she didn’t scream when she was in the box.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing. Joshua Eaton, a spokesman for the northern district of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said there could be more victims.
Many unanswered questions remain, including the exact connection between the girl and the suspects. It’s unclear how much time she spent at the Lake County property or why she called police when she did.
Both men were being held without bail. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a third man, Eric Edgar, on suspicion of sexual assault.
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