MESA — A Mesa man accused of raping multiple women was released from custody this week after search warrant documents obtained by the ABC15 Investigators show police believe there are even more victims and he’s an imminent danger to the public.
Mesa police have arrested James Estep, 32, twice since May and in both cases, Estep was released.
After the latest arrest on July 3rd, The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) dropped the charges and sent it back to police for further investigation, which allowed for Estep’s release from jail. This case against him remains open.
“Cases of this nature are extremely complex. It is imperative that a thorough and complete investigation is done prior to any charging decision. The County Attorney’s Office has furthered several cases involving Mr. Estep back to Mesa Police for additional information,” MCAO said in a statement.
MCAO said it declined to file charges after Estep was arrested for the first time back in May due to the likelihood of conviction.
“This is ridiculous. This person in this situation has created a clear and present danger for the people in Maricopa County and Arizona,” said former prosecutor and defense attorney Josh Kolsrud.
Kolsrud spent several years as a prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and said he can’t understand why prosecutors let Estep walk twice.
“In two of those cases, there’s DNA that leads directly back to the suspect and they didn’t bring charges,” he said.
Court records show Mesa investigators believe there are as many as five victims. The first incident happened in May of 2021 and four other potential victims were assaulted this year.
The documents detail how one of the victims was able to escape on June 28, four days before Estep’s accused of raping another woman at his home in Mesa after meeting her at a Tempe bar.
One of the alleged victims described being choked, one even hit, after reportedly accepting rides from Estep.
“There is no reason to believe that he’s not going to stop doing this and every reason to believe that he will,” said Kolsrud.
The Mesa police detective wrote in the search warrant affidavit these cases are “similar and indicative of Estep being involved in other crimes that have gone undetected and/or occurred in other jurisdictions” and any delay in evidence “may result in more violent crimes placing the public at risk of imminent danger.”
ABC15 reached out to numerous numbers associated with Estep but was not able to reach him for comment.
