The Twentynine Palms man who is suspected of a rape last week was arrested without incident Sunday. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant James Porter, deputies received information that Louis Ontek, 42, was at a residence in the 75000 block of Encanto Drive in Twentynine Palms, where he was arrested without incident. Porter said Ontek was on a work release program out of Riverside County when he allegedly sexually assaulted, beat, and tied up a woman in Landers on November 6. The woman went for help at Hero’s Market in Landers. Deputies located Ontek later the same day in Joshua Tree, but he fled in his vehicle, leading deputies on a short pursuit before losing them in the desert. Porter said Ontek had cut off his ankle monitor. Louis Ontek was arrested for investigation of rape, sodomy, evading a police officer, threatening a crime, false imprisonment, and felony spouse abuse. He was booked into the Morongo Basin Jail with his bail set at $600,000.
