Man, 56, Arrested for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Man in Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – A 56-year-old man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a man he met through an online dating app.

Hakan Isik of Desert Hot Springs was arrested Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of penetration with a foreign object, sodomy, elder abuse, false imprisonment and administering a drug to commit a felony, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

His arrest stems from a sexual assault case that police say was brought to their attention in January and continues to be investigated as more information becomes available.

"Investigating sexual assault cases can take time as it requires the meticulous examination of evidence, collection of witness statements, medical records, and collaboration with various parties involved," police said in a statement. "Investigators have pursued available leads and conducted multiple interviews with individuals who came forward in response to the victim’s online account."

The alleged victim posted a statement online in April about being drugged and sexually assaulted in Palm Springs Jan. 28.

"I asked him repeatedly to stop and repeatedly to leave. But he continued to add drugs and assault me sexually and physically," the man wrote. "I was very weak, in trauma, and both physically and emotionally unable to defend myself. … I was hospitalized and the injuries were extensive, with first- and third-degree burns on my right hip and buttocks and numerous lacerations and torn skin on my head, arms, torso, legs, feet, armpits and face."

Isik was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center, where he remains held on $55,000.

Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.