Atwater man arrested on suspicion of rape

A 20-year-old Atwater man was arrested Wednesday, accused of raping a woman earlier this month, the Atwater Police Department reported.

Willie David Villagrana was booked into the John Latorraca Correctional Facility on suspicion of forcible rape. He was still in custody Thursday on $200,000 bail, according to Merced County jail records.

Police investigators believe Villagrana attacked a woman on an afternoon between Feb. 1 and Feb. 3, according to Sgt. Dick Wisdom.

To protect the woman’s identity, police described her only as an adult who knows Villagrana. Officers also declined to say where the alleged attack occurred other than to say it happened inside her Atwater home.

The incident was reported to police Tuesday. .

Villagrana was arrested about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 2100 block of Winton Way, police confirmed.

“He was interviewed by the officers and all we can say is that, based on the investigation, there was enough information to take him into custody,” Wisdom said.

Villagrana has no criminal record as an adult in Merced County.

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Atwater man arrested on suspicion of rape."