Mariposa man arrested on suspicion of rape

A 46-year-old Mariposa man has been arrested on suspicion of raping a woman he met on a dating website for farmers, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday.

Jerry Cox is accused of holding the alleged victim against her will on Friday afternoon and sexually assaulting her, according to Kristi Mitchell, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.

Authorities gave little information about the woman, saying only she was an adult from outside the county.

Mitchell declined to comment on many details of the case, citing a need to protect the investigation.

Detectives believe Cox and the woman met on the agriculture-themed dating site and met in person Friday afternoon. At some point, they wound up at Cox’s ranch on CYA Road in the Mount Bullion area of Mariposa County.

Deputies believe the woman was then held against her will, raped and threatened. The woman reported the allegations to the Sheriff’s Office later that day.

“We’re not releasing how she got from (the ranch) to the Sheriff’s Department at this time,” Mitchell said.

Cox remained in custody Monday at the Mariposa County Jail on suspicion of rape, false imprisonment, kidnapping and making criminal threats, all felonies. His bail was set at $500,000.

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Mariposa man arrested on suspicion of rape."