The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office said a "serial rapist" with cross-county victims is now in custody. Bernarnino Vazquez, 25, of Rio Vista, is accused of at least six sexual assaults in Sacramento and San Joaquin counties between January and June of 2025.

CBS13 was the first to report on two sexual assaults that happened in Isleton, located in Sacramento County, in March 2025. 

During that time, community members told CBS 13's Tori Apodaca that they had heard of a similar case that happened in Thornton in January. She started asking both the Sacramento and San Joaquin County Sheriff's Offices questions as detectives investigated the community's claims, but at the time, there was not enough evidence to link anything. 

The first known alleged assault in San Joaquin County happened on Jan. 24, 2025, at around 9:30 p.m. in Thornton. A woman was cleaning a business on Mokelumne Avenue when the investigators say Vazquez brutally attacked her. 

"She fought like crazy and it's because of her we have the DNA evidence that we have," said San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow. 

Withrow shared disturbing details from that attack. He said the victim had to bite the suspect to get him off her, but even after he ran away, the suspect returned with more force. 

"The neighbors began to turn their lights off and nobody called for help," Withrow said, describing the victim's account, but she immediately reported the attack. 

On March 20, 2025, two attacks happened in Isleton within about 15 minutes of each other. 

It had people in the small delta community on edge for months, with some women not walking outside on their own. 

"My husband wasn't allowing me to leave the house by myself, walking around or my kids," said Heather Swain, who lives in Isleton. 

Following the assaults, the Isleton community created a neighborhood watch group. An active member of the group said she is grateful they have not had to send a message in that group since it was created. 

Fast forward to June 2025, Withrow said that Vazquez violently attacked a Starbucks employee in the lobby of the store she was working at on Waterloo Road in Stockton at around 4:15 a.m. 

Withrow said the victim and her coworker had to fight off Vazquez. 

"We had to fight to get that video from them," Withrow said. 

The sheriff expressed how incredibly disappointed he was in the businesses where the assaults happened because of how difficult he claims they made it to obtain surveillance video of the attacks. 

"In this case, delayed access to surveillance hindered our ability to move even faster. When companies act promptly, it allows us to connect the dots sooner, protect potential victims and stop offenders before they strike again," said Withrow. 

Eventually, Withrow said they obtained video that showed Vazquez riding away from the alleged attack of the Starbucks employee on a bicycle and getting into a car. 

"It was good old-fashioned cop work by our detectives," Withrow said. 

Withrow said that they were able to use multiple county cameras to track down a license plate number and link the car to Vazquez. 

They discovered that Vazquez was already in custody at the Sacramento County jail for an incident involving the discharge of a shotgun. The following day, July 4, 2025, the Sacramento Police Department filed additional charges against Vazquez, accusing him of assaulting a massage therapist. 

"I would consider him a serial rapist," Withrow said. 

During their interviews with Vazquez, Withrow said the suspect confessed to multiple sexual assault incidents across Thornton, Isleton, Elk Grove, Stockton and Sacramento. 

Withrow said Vazquez also confessed that he sexually assaulted two homeless women, one near the Kohl's in Lodi and another near the University of the Pacific in Stockton, but those went unreported. He said the suspect did not seem remorseful. 

"That's just devastating to us because here we know we have two victims out there," Withrow said. "We don't know who they are, and we would love to get them the help and the justice that they deserve." 

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said even though these alleged crimes happened across county lines, he does not want that to complicate prosecution in the case and hopes they can get Vazquez tried in San Joaquin. 

"These were individuals who were going about their lives," Freitas said. "Doing normal things, they were in public settings." 

Some of the attacks happened in the morning hours, but others, like in Isleton, happened around 9 p.m. 

"This individual will never ever terrorize our community again," Freitas said. 

Freitas said they are filing at least 10 charges against Vazquez related to sexual assault and great bodily injury. He believes they have enough evidence to get Vazquez's life in prison. 

Sheriff Withrow said this case underscores how vital it is for agencies to come together and for community input. 

"This case is a stark reminder: law enforcement and the community must stand together," said Withrow. "We are committed to doing our part, but we need the eyes, ears and courage of our citizens to help us protect one another. Together, we will keep San Joaquin County and our neighboring communities safe."

Withrow believes that there may be more victims out there and is asking anyone to come forward and call investigators directly at 209-468-4400 or report anonymously.