April 16--A Culver City man pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he repeatedly raped a 15-year-old girl who he allegedly kept in his home for the three weeks she was missing.
Samuel Robert Duran Jr., 33, was charged with a dozen counts in connection with the girl's disappearance, including multiple counts of rape and forced penetration, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Prosecutors also allege he tied and bound the girl.
Duran's bail was increased from $8 million to $12 million on Thursday. If convicted, prosecutors said, Duran faces 15 years to life in prison.
The girl, who had been missing since March 24, was rescued Monday after she was able to call her mother for help, her mother told the Los Angeles Times. The call disconnected, the mother said, but the phone number the girl was calling from appeared on the mother's phone.
The mother said investigators traced the number to Duran's Culver City home and found the girl inside.
The Times previously named the girl in reporting her disappearance. Since Duran has been charged with rape, The Times is adhering to its policy of not identifying victims of alleged sexual assault.
She was the subject of an intensive search by Los Angeles police and the FBI, in cooperation with her family, and those efforts received widespread coverage by the media, including The Times. Her mother set up a Facebook page asking for the public's help in finding the teenager and missing-child groups distributed fliers.
The girl's mother said her daughter disappeared after a disagreement over the teenager's cellphone. The mother said her daughter had autism and other cognitive issues that make her quick to anger and prone to impulsive behavior.
After her daughter was rescued, the mother told The Times that the girl said that Duran had kept her in a room at the house and rarely let her out. The teenager told her mother that Duran threatened her family's safety if she tried to escape.
The LAPD's investigation is ongoing, police said.
Duran was convicted of selling or manufacturing a dangerous weapon in 1999 and received 10 days in jail and three years' probation, according to court records and the district attorney's office. Records also showed he was charged with possession of marijuana in Orange County in 2005.
Times staff writer Sandy Banks contributed to this report.
UPDATE
2:10 p.m.: Thius story was updated with Duran pleading not guilty and his bail being increased.
This story was first published at 11:56 a.m.
