Two Lodi rape suspects arraigned; no pleas entered

Two Lodi men accused in one of several recent drug-induced rapes were arraigned Friday on charges of raping an unconscious person.

Joseph Lobb, 24, and William "Billy" Wood, 23, both asked for time so their families could help them hire attorneys. Judge James E. Cadle scheduled Wednesday court dates and set bail at $75,000 each.

However, they are held without bail because they were on parole from state prison in separate vehicle theft convictions.

Each man has multiple previous felony and misdemeanor convictions, including vehicle theft, petty theft and drug charges. Between them, prosecutors have filed 27 separate criminal cases since 2005 — until the rape case, though, they were not charged together in any crime.

Lobb and Wood are accused in the Sept. 17 rape of a woman who said she was at a Downtown Lodi bar and awoke in a strange apartment. She had no memory of being there or what had happened, but knew she had been sexually assaulted.

She went to police immediately, and showed investigators photos a friend had taken that night in the bar. Police recognized Lobb and Wood, and Deputy District Attorney Michael Rasmussen said both men "made incriminating statements" against themselves.

"A big weight was taken off my shoulders," the victim said of the arrests. "I want women to come forward. If it wasn't me, it could have been any other woman that night."

The News-Sentinel does not name victims whom police and prosecutors say are sexual assault victims.

The rape was one of four drug-related rapes in a two-week span, as well as a fifth reported during that time, though the crime happened during the summer. Such numbers are extremely high for Lodi.

Police have suspects in three other rapes, but they have not released names and will forward the reports to prosecutors for review. As of Friday, Rasmussen had not seen more reports.

Investigators are also looking into a report that a woman became so ill after taking a drink at another Lodi bar that she passed out in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Additionally, a woman told the News-Sentinel that her daughter and daughter's friend thought they had been drugged at separate times in Lodi bars, though they made it home safely.

And a 52-year-old woman told the newspaper that she believed she had been drugged at yet another bar.

Investigators say there is no sign that the bar owners are connected to the rapes, and so far they have found no relation between the suspects.

All of the women had typical symptoms of so-called "date rape" drugs, in which the victim loses almost all memory for a period of hours and is nearly unconscious.

Lobb and Wood did not enter pleas at their initial court appearance.

Wood whispered advice to Lobb, prompting the judge to ask, "Is this your lawyer here in the corner? ... Be careful who you take advice from."

In addition to the parole hold and $75,000 bail, Wood is being held on an additional $35,000 bail, accused of violating his probation in several previous convictions. Rasmussen said Lobb could soon have probation violations, too.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.