Glendale Man Held in Alleged Sexual Assault of Neighbor, 83

GLENDALE — A former rock drummer described by his roommate as a “gentle teddy bear” was arrested Thursday on suspicion of sexually assaulting an 83-year-old neighbor for eight hours in the woman’s home, police said.

Mark Curtis Robb, 41, who police say begged the woman not to call authorities after her ordeal, was arrested early Thursday at a West Hollywood hotel, Sgt. Rick Young said.

The widow, who lives alone in the pricey Verdugo Woodlands neighborhood, called police at 5:47 a.m. Wednesday, telling officers that Robb had held her at knifepoint since about 9 o’clock the night before, officers said. She was treated at a local hospital and released.

“It was vicious, very traumatizing,” Sgt. Kim Lardie said of the attack.

Robb, a neighbor of the widow for more than six years, had called the elderly woman and asked to use her bathroom because of plumbing problems in the house he rents with his roommate, according to police.

Using duct tape, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Robb bound the elderly woman’s hands and threatened her with a knife during the sexual assault that included rape, authorities said.

“She must feel terribly betrayed,” said Robb’s roommate, 42-year-old Bill Morosi, who grew up in the same neighborhood.

“Actually, Mark’s got no history of violence. I mean, he’s a big guy, but he’s a gentle teddy bear.”

“It’s just one of those stupid things,” said Morosi, who described Robb, a mail clerk at a computer software firm in Canoga Park, as a former rock drummer from Newport Beach.

Det. Randy Osborne, the lead investigator in the case, said he could not discuss whether drugs were involved. Nor would he reveal how police traced Robb and his roommate’s 1986 Ford pickup to the West Hollywood hotel, where Osborne and five other officers took Robb into custody at about 7:30 a.m. Thursday without a struggle.

Municipal Judge Laura Matz, at Osborne’s request, increased Robb’s bail Thursday to $500,000 because of what the detective called a flight risk. Robb was being held at the Glendale jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.