Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014 | 11:26 a.m.
FRESNO, Calif. — The son of a former California Highway Patrol assistant chief has been given prison time for raping a woman at knifepoint, while his father and other family members could stand trial on allegations that they helped him flee to Mexico.
Spencer Scarber, 21, was sentenced Tuesday to spend 35 years to life in state prison for the 2011 rape.
Deputy California Attorney General Leanne LeMon, who prosecuted Scarber, had sought a prison sentence of 80 years. She told The Fresno Bee that Scarber never showed remorse or took responsibility for his crime at a home in Squaw Valley, a community east of Fresno.
His victim, who was 35 years old at the time, suffered nightmares and couldn't touch a knife for months following the attack, LeMon told the newspaper. Scarber maintained that the sexual act was consensual.
Scarber was scheduled to testify in his own defense in December 2012, when he fled into Mexico, where he dyed his hair and grew a goatee. Days after vanishing, a jury convicted him in absentia on rape, robbery and burglary charges.
Police in Acapulco captured Scarber, which led to the arrest of his parents, Kyle and Gail Scarber, and sister, Crystal Reynoso. The three were each charged with aiding his escape, and their trials are pending.
Kyle Scarber was an assistant chief with the CHP's Central Division.
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