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

INDIO (CNS) – Felony charges were filed Friday against a 56-year-old man suspected of sexually assaulting a man he met through an online dating app.

Hakan Isik of Desert Hot Springs was charged with two felony counts of sodomy of an intoxicated victim, and one felony count each of sexual penetration by means of force and cruelty to an adult, according to court records. He also faces a sentence-enhancing allegation of causing bodily injury with a sex offense and four misdemeanor counts of battery.

He’s set to be arraigned Friday afternoon at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Isik’s arrest stemmed from a sexual assault case in January that continues to be investigated as additional people and more information become available, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

"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.

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