Lee Charles Lubonne, a west valley man who utilized social networking sites, including Craig’s List, to target his victims, was taken into custody by Maricopa Coutny Sheriff’s deputies yesterday. Lubonne now the primary suspect in at least two sexual assaults.
The 44 year old is a father of two who has been employed by the Shamrock Food Company for about 15 years.
The first incident came to light after a 33 year old woman called 911 saying Lubonne kidnapped and sexually assaulted her in his Litchfield Park home on Saturday afternoon.
While the woman was being treated by doctors at a local hospital, she told Sheriff’s deputies she was contacted via the internet by Lubonne who was seeking her professional services as a photographer. They met Saturday, May 19th at a west valley coffee bar then proceeded to his home to discuss the job. The victim claims she was then drugged, forcibly undressed, and was sexually assaulted.
During that interview, deputies said the man named and the address provided by this victim matched another sex crime case they are working, this one involving a 15 year girl who says she was recently raped by a man she met on Craig’s List when she was seeking babysitting jobs. Both victims identified the suspect from a photo line- up and described the home, bedroom, and vehicle used by Lubonne during the assaults.
“Social networking sites are great tools for many things,” Sheriff Joe Arpaio says, “but everyone should be extra diligent when meeting people through these sites. Even if it is for a legitimate business purpose, these people are still strangers.
Approach them with extreme caution. Don’t go to anyone’s home and always bring someone you know along with you when meeting a new contact.”
Arpaio says his sex crime detectives “have reason to suspect this guy may have targeted and possibly assaulted several women given the evidence we seized from his home. So it’s very important that everyone take a good hard look at this man and if they have any information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, call us.”
The number to call is 602-876-1011.
Deputies served a search warrant on Lubonne’s residence and seized various recording devices from the bedroom and other rooms in the house, a duffle bag filled with sexual apparatus, a bag filled with personal items which detectives say may be the suspect’s trophies, bottles of prescription medications, online profiles of women from social networking websites including maps. Also found in the bedroom and locked in a safe were 13 hard drives and multiple jump drives.
Deputies say it will be weeks before the computer forensic work on the devices is complete.
Also found in Lubonne’s car and residence were notes and a to-do list indicating his intention to meet the photographer and his need to buy zip ties. Another note stated his desire to stop being a “sex pig” and to find Jesus.
Lubonne is in the 4th Avenue Jail on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, and sexual abuse. He is being held without bond.