Crime & Safety
Husband Suspected in Spousal Rape Case
Woman, a native of Kenya, mentioned incident during interview with domestic violence counselor, prompting a call to police.
A 35-year-old Novato man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of spousal rape, making criminal threats and brandishing a deadly weapon, said.
Benjamin Kiruri faces a bail of $150,000 following his arrest at 1:55 p.m. at the Novato police station, according to the Marin County Jail booking log.
A 30-year-old woman told investigators that she was raped by her husband and suffered minor injuries on April 14 at their Novato home, Novato police Lt. Keith Heiden said. She also said her husband brandished a knife and threatened to kill her on May 3.
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Heiden said the woman, a native of Kenya, was unfamiliar with crime-reporting procedures in the United States and made the report after meeting with a domestic violence victim advocate from the Marin County Center for Domestic Peace.
The suspect went to the Novato police station at the request of the investigating officer and was arrested, Heiden said.
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Kiruri faces felony counts of rape and making threats and a misdemeanor charge of brandishing a weapon.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
