LANCASTER – A self-admitted HIV-positive man accused of posing as a police officer to kidnap and sexually assault a girl walking home from school on May 6 is facing new charges for allegedly raping another girl in Lancaster less than a month earlier.
Joseph Kenneth Cornett, 41, was charged Tuesday with nine felony counts in connection with a rape that occurred April 13, according to Deputy District Attorney Jon Hatami. The new charges include two counts of rape and one count each of kidnapping to commit rape, assault with intent to commit rape, kidnapping, committing a lewd act on a child, false imprisonment, attempted unprotected sexual activity by one who knows self to be infected by HIV and furnishing marijuana to a minor, the prosecutor said. The criminal case also includes the special allegation of more than one victim.
In the April 13 incident, a 15-year-old girl was allegedly driven to a deserted area of Lancaster and sexually assaulted twice, according to Hatami.
Cornett appeared at a court hearing Tuesday, where a motion was granted to allow the Sheriff’s Department to use reasonable force in obtaining his blood and saliva samples.
Though Cornett admitted to being HIV-positive, he was refusing to allow authorities to obtain his blood and saliva samples for testing, the prosecutor told the judge in arguing the motion. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shannon Knight also granted the prosecutor’s request to raise Cornett’s bail to $2,275,000 based on the amended charges.
A preliminary hearing setting was scheduled for June 15.
Cornett, who has lived in both Lancaster and North Carolina, is now facing a total of 26 criminal charges in connection with two Lancaster assaults.
He has remained jailed since his arrest on May 6. According to sheriff’s officials, Cornett allegedly approached a 15-year-old girl walking home from school in Lancaster on May 6 and told her that she was being arrested for jaywalking. He then took her to an abandoned mobile classroom near Lancaster Boulevard and 40th Street East where he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Detectives said the girl escaped and ran across the street to Lancaster Baptist School where she sought help. When Cornett tried to drive away, his vehicle got stuck in the desert sand and he was arrested, after spitting at and fighting with officers, sheriff’s officials said.
Cornett is facing 17 criminal charges in connection with the May 6 incident, including kidnapping to commit rape, committing a lewd act on a child, sexual penetration by a foreign object, attempted forcible rape, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, assault with intent to commit a felony, kidnapping, false imprisonment and attempted unprotected sexual activity by one who knows self to be infected by HIV. He is also charged with seven misdemeanor counts of resisting a peace officer and one misdemeanor count of possessing a controlled substance, PCP.
Cornett faces life in prison, if convicted as charged.
Previous related stories:
Man pleads not guilty in Lancaster sexual assault
HIV+ man charged in kidnap, rape in Lancaster
Girl allegedly sexually assaulted near Lancaster school, suspect caught
D.J. Hernandez says
That second victim was in this forum two weeks ago saying that she thinks she was kidnapped by Cornet but she needed to see his face to make sure it was him.
If he has H.I.V. the first victim probably has H.I.V. but the second one could have saved herself from H.I.V. When a woman is raped she is given a special H.I.V. medication that kills the virus within the first 3 days of infection. After 3 days, it’s too late to take the medication. From April 13 to May 6 that goes beyond the 3 day grace period to get rid of H.I.V.
If the first victim would have rushed to the hospital after she was raped, she could have saved herself. Now, neither of those two girls can get married or have a family. By law they also have to disclose to anyone they meet that they are H.I.V. positive. If the first victim had any sexual contact with anyone after that Cornet, then she has to notify her boyfriend that she might be H.I.V. positive, so he could get medical attention. There may be more than two victims and the others are reluctant to come forward because they don’t want anyone to find out they have H.I.V.
Irena says
A person with HIV can get married, there is no law prohibiting that. Also just because someone is exposed does not always mean that they will test positive.
From the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/policies/law/risk.html
Per 10,000 cases
Receptive anal intercourse 138
Insertive anal intercourse 11
Receptive penile-vaginal intercourse 8
Insertive penile-vaginal intercourse 4
Receptive oral intercourse low
Insertive oral intercourse low
As you can see the actual risk is on the low side. Not that I am advocating unprotected sex, but the infection rate isn’t even close to 25%.
The victims will be tested several times and once cleared there will be no further reporting requirements for these women.
As for having a family, a woman can get pregnant and there are treatments that can almost ensure that the child doesn’t become infected in vetro. I am not commenting on the moral right or wrong of it, only that it isn’t illegal.
D.J. Hernandez says
The media should at least print the names, photos, and home addresses of those two girls, so anyone who had sexual contact could come forward to get tested for H.I.V. That is how you protect society.
Irena says
They are minors and victims of rape, exposing them to the media and the public would be cruel.
Since they are minors, they shouldn’t be having intercourse really but since that isn’t very realistic. Any intercourse they are involved in should be with a condom already.
There are far more deaths from the flu and cancer in the US than from HIV/AIDS. Do you see people going around reporting that someone has the flu?
Simple facts:
An estimated 13,712 people with an AIDS diagnosis died in 2012, and approximately 658,507 people in the United States with an AIDS diagnosis have died overall. The deaths of persons with an AIDS diagnosis can be due to any cause—that is, the death may or may not be related to AIDS.
Now let’s look at cancer:
576,685 people—about 1,580 people a day—died of cancer in the United States in 2011
Heart disease:
About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths
Diabetes:
Number of deaths: 75,578 per annum
Deaths per 100,000 population: 23.9
Cause of death rank: 7
So you see you have a much higher chance of dying from almost anything other than HIV.
Why am I not surprised? says
that you DJ HERNANDEZ thinks it’s ok to further hurt these two rape victims? You are a prick
Casual Advice says
“Society” should protect themselves by using condoms. Be smart and use protection.
hm says
D.J. Hernandez, Is there something wrong with you??? Pull you head out of you A$$.
Mark says
Just another day in the Antelope Valley..
Cali Palmdale says
We need to bring back the harsher penalties this guy doesn’t deserve a trial he needs to DIE no need to waste our tax payers money.
soapbox journal says
This man needs to be shot, no trial, no waste of money, nothing just take him out like a rabid dog and shoot him, he should have been killed while he was spitting and struggling with the Officers. As stated in the article, “When Cornett tried to drive away, his vehicle got stuck in the desert sand and he was arrested, after spitting at and fighting with officers, sheriff’s officials said.”
billy joe says
I used to think like you. But he didn’t ask for the life he was given.. He didn’t ask for the mental illness. the race he was given… the looks.. the crummy parents… the crummy upbringing… and the pressure to do drugs.. Its so easy to judge because your hand in life was different…. you have no idea, because you haven’t walked in his shoes… but I bet if he had walked in your shoes.. his life would have been WAY better… just be grateful for the shoes you were given…
DM says
@billy joe… Are you kidding???!!! He didn’t steal food because he was hungry, or rob someone to pay for his drug habit…
waldo says
Wow let’s give this guy every excuse in the book!
I wouldn’t wish this situation upon any parent but if this were your child Billy Joe I bet your response would be just a little bit different!
plus if he was smart enough to come up with this plan to kidnap this child and impersonate a peace officer you don’t think he has the mental capacity to say no !
I had very similar “shoes” in my upbringing surrounded with drugs and gangs and grew up very poor ! but everyone makes their own decisions whether right or wrong.
I am not a gang member , a drug dealer or drug abuser and I don’t steal because I was poor! I make very good money and work for Law enforcement so those “SHOES” determine who you were but only the person can decide who your going to be ! People need to stop making excuses and own up to their own actions!
So yes i do believe he needs to be punished, however whatever punishment he receives will never be enough to take that experience away from the poor girl who had to go through it ! So remember the pain of the girl before you go defending this P.O.S!
konnie says
I agree with you. regardless what his past was you choose to be and do what you want instead of making better choices to better his life he wanted to use excuses to so his crime. no he deserves the to be punished he has no right to hurt and ruin any ones life because he is a loser.
Irena says
Where is the personal accountability in your equation though? If what you say is true than we should all just give up and let fate, circumstances etc do what they will with us.
There are plenty of people who rose above their situations to become great success stories. They endured the very same things: poor childhood, absent father/mother, surrounded by drugs yet they overcame all this.
I am disabled and grew up with an abusive alcoholic father. We were evicted and I had had to drop out of HS. I was in an accident and lost a finger. Yet I went back to school, received a degree and am a successful and productive member of society.
lili says
Irena do you see what you wrote that is exactly what konnie said he made his choices to do what he did .You dont understand if you want to better yourself you can except he decided he will use his stupid excuse of his poor past thats not any one elses falt. there is alot of people like you that were living a miserable life before and dedided they would change for good. do stfu and learn to read.
Nw says
Irenas Comment was clearly not for Konnie. Lili learn some reading comprehension please before telling someone to stfu.
al says
This mf. Should be tortured in front of everyone. So the next mf will think twice before doing such a thing. Not have any rights, to refuse blood testing!! R u kidding??!!
soapbox journal says
I grew up poor, abused, living in filth, wiping the behind of my adopted mother’s who was to lazy to do it herself. I nearly dropped out of school, my Principal helped me finish school. I made mistakes, I am a mom and grandma. I appreciate what you are saying Billy Joe, this man made the choice to assault these girls, to do all the things he did and probably has done. Since he made his choice, no matter what his life was before that moment, will never change what he did. I still stand by the Shoot to kill post I made.
dumbandblind says
Set him free and let justice be dealt in the streets where he belong.
Dave says
In before the Lancaster comment crew!
MR. PERPLEXED says
SHOTGUN!! LoL