Nordstrom Rack Defendant Pleads Not Guilty to Rape and Other Charges

A man accused of sexually assaulting an employee during a robbery at a Nordstrom Rack in Westchester, in which 14 employees were taken hostage, pleaded not guilty to 19 felony charges earlier this week.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba ordered Raymond Sherman Jr., 34, to remain jailed on $4.78 million bail pending his next court appearance Jan. 28, when a date will be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial.

Sherman is charged with one count each of forcible oral copulation, kidnapping to commit another crime and assault with a deadly weapon, along with two counts of forcible rape and 14 counts of second-degree robbery. The criminal complaint alleges that he personally used a firearm during the commission of the Jan. 10 crimes. He was returned from Arizona, where he was arrested earlier this month.

Co-defendants Troy Marsay Hammock, 29, and Everett Oneal Allen, 24, pleaded not guilty Jan. 15 to one count each of assault with a deadly weapon and 14 counts of second-degree robbery. They are due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 28, along with two women, Rochelle Monique Sherman, 33, and Paula Roneshia Bradley, 29, who are charged with one count each of being an accessory after the fact.

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