Man Who Groped Woman In Temecula Mall Enters Plea

A man who groped a woman as she changed clothes in a dressing room at a Temecula mall pleaded guilty today to misdemeanor battery and was immediately sentenced to three years probation.

Leonard Dominic Rudzinski, 58, was arrested in December 2012 after the encounter with a customer at the Promenade Mall in the 40800 block of Winchester Road.

During a status hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, the prosecution and defense notified Riverside County Superior Court Judge Raquel Marquez that a plea deal had been reached in the case.

In addition to probation, Rudzinski will serve a day in jail and complete 20 hours of community service. He was also ordered not to have any contact with the victim.

Around 2:30 p.m. last Dec. 13, a woman was trying on clothes at the Hollister store when the defendant walked into her wardrobe room and fondled her, according to sheriff's investigators.

The victim screamed, drawing the attention of staff and other customers, who witnessed Rudzinski fleeing and called 911.

Deputies were able to locate and detain him still in the mall. Rudzinski was positively identified by witnesses and booked into jail. He posted $3,500 bail and was released a short time later.

According to court records, prosecutors initially filed a charge of sexual battery in the case, but the count was amended a month later for unspecified reasons. --City News Service