Suspect Held on 65 Counts of Rape, Kidnaping, Theft

A 26-year-old North Hollywood man, whom authorities suspect is the “ATM (automatic teller machine) rapist,” was ordered Friday to stand trial on 65 counts of rape, kidnaping and robbery involving assaults on 11 women in the San Fernando Valley.

David Keith Lewis, the father of two, was bound over for trial and ordered held in lieu of $1-million bail by Los Angeles Municipal Judge Candice D. Cooper after a weeklong preliminary hearing.

The proceeding included testimony from the 11 women, most of whom were accosted in supermarket or department store parking lots last December and January.

In several cases, Deputy Dist. Atty. Margaret Barreto-Morehouse said, Lewis raped the women and then robbed them by forcing them to withdraw funds from automatic bank teller machines.

Lewis, a part-time gardener, was traced after being videotaped at an automated teller as he allegedly attempted to use a bank card stolen from one of his victims.

Identified in Court

Although Lewis dramatically altered his appearance between his arrest and the hearing--his beard was shorn and his long hair was dramatically trimmed--all but one witness readily identified the defendant in court, Barreto-Morehouse said.

Of the counts against Lewis, 61 are for alleged felonies, more than 20 of them for sexual abuse. The remaining four counts are misdemeanors.

During his hearing, Lewis’ feet were shackled because he had recently been involved in an escape attempt at Los Angeles County Jail, Police Detective Ronald Phelps said.

Most witnesses testified that they had been approached by Lewis, who had a gun or knife in hand, as they entered or left their cars. Threatening to kill them, Lewis forced them to drive to secluded spots where they were raped, the witnesses alleged.

Lewis then allegedly stole their money, jewelry and bank cards, occasionally forcing a victim to drive to a bank to withdraw money from an automated teller machine.

Each of the incidents occurred in the daytime, with all but one taking place last January, prosecutors said.

An investigation is continuing, according to Phelps, and further charges against Lewis in another rape case are expected to be filed Monday.