Sex offender now charged with making rape threats in Berkeley
David Prendez has been linked to multiple "attacks and sexual batteries on female community members" in Berkeley, BPD says.
A sex offender who was recently placed on probation after grabbing a student near UC Berkeley is back in custody this week on suspicion of threatening to rape a woman not far from campus, according to court papers.
According to police, 30-year-old David Prendez (no address), "began making sexual comments" to a woman who was walking Monday afternoon near Telegraph and Derby streets in the Southside neighborhood near UC Berkeley.
Prendez followed the woman for about a half-block and then yelled at her, "I'm going to rape you!" according to court papers.
Scared, the woman called the Berkeley Police Department.
Members of BPD's Bike Force unit found Prendez still in the area sitting in a vehicle, BPD said.
While officers were speaking with Prendez, he "continued to shout sexual comments to women passing by on the street," police said.
David Prendez. BPD
Officers arrested Prendez at 2:25 p.m. Monday, according to booking records.
On Tuesday, the Alameda County district attorney's office charged Prendez with making criminal threats, which is a felony.
Prendez was already known to Berkeley police due to "multiple prior attacks and sexual batteries on female community members," BPD wrote in charging papers.
Prendez had only recently been placed on probation for grabbing a 19-year-old UC Berkeley student in January.
As of Wednesday, Prendez remains in custody and is being held without bail. He is scheduled for arraignment Friday, according to jail records online.
Prendez was already on probation in connection with multiple cases at the time of his arrest in January, according to Alameda County Superior Court records online.
He has now been charged with violating his probation terms in addition to the felony threats case.
David Prendez also convicted of sexual battery in the fall
Prendez has a long rap sheet and had already gotten into trouble for sexual offenses on campus property earlier in the school year.
He reportedly trespassed into the Unit 2 student housing complex on Haste Street on Sept. 15, 2022, and was seen in a girls' bathroom shower stall, according to the University of California Police Department.
Later that night, Prendez exposed himself to and sexually battered a Cal employee, UCPD said previously. Police arrested him in a Unit 2 bathroom the same night.
Prendez was ultimately convicted of misdemeanor sexual battery for that incident and placed on probation after about a month in jail.
Those crime reports were among several that galvanized parents to organize and push UC Berkeley for more security and transparency about campus safety in the fall.
Those efforts are ongoing.
Emilie Raguso
Prendez has a long history of mostly misdemeanor cases in Alameda County dating back to 2015. For nearly all of them, he was put on probation after serving limited jail time. In several matters, the case was dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Prendez had 11 separate criminal cases in Alameda County in 2022 alone.
According to court papers, he has felony convictions for assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, which sent him to prison, and burglary.
Other charges against him have included felony battery as well as misdemeanor assault, assault on a peace officer, intimidating a local business or customers, trespassing, and possessing stolen property and drugs.
Read more about crime near UC Berkeley on The Berkeley Scanner. UC Berkeley offers a number of safety and security resources for members of the campus community. Cal also publishes resources related to those needing support regarding sexual violence.
