HIV-infected man convicted of sexually assaulting 2 Lancaster teens

LOS ANGELES -- An HIV-infected man has been convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two 15-year-old girls in Lancaster.

City News Service says 42-year-old Joseph Cornett was found guilty Thursday of 19 charges, including rape and kidnapping.

Prosecutors say last April Cornett offered a ride home to a teenage runaway but instead drove her into the desert and raped her twice.

Authorities say the next month, he kidnapped a teenager who was walking home from school. Prosecutors say Cornett claimed to be a police officer who was arresting her for jaywalking, then drove her to an abandoned trailer and sexually assaulted her.

The girl managed to escape and get help from people at a nearby church. Cornett's car became stuck in a sandy ditch and he was arrested following a fight with police.