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Seaside Man Pled Guilty To Rape of 54 Year-old

SEASIDE, Calif- Ernesto Alonzo Avina, a 25-year-old Seaside resident, pled guilty to committing forcible rape and forcible oral copulation during the commission of a burglary.

At approximately 5:30 am on September 24, 2007, the victim, then 54-years-old, was awakend  to the sound of her dog barking and the sound of glass breaking.

Avina entered through a broken window in the victim's bedroom holding a hammer and then assaulted her. After Avina fled, the victim immediately called the police and gave a description of the suspect stating that he might be a person she had seen residing in Seaside.

The police were able to locate Avina who then admitted to committing the offenses. Subsequent DNA testing confirmed that he was the person.

Under California's Three Strikes Law Avina is required to be sentenced to a term of 15 years to life in prison because he pled guilty to committing the offenses during the commission of a burglary. Each of the two offenses are "Strikes" under the law. The convictions also require Avina to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.