A Visalia man has been sentenced to 16 years in state prison for the 2020 sexual assault of an unconscious woman, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

Elijah Silva, 24, received the maximum aggravated sentence on Friday following his conviction last month for multiple felony sex crimes, including rape and sodomy of both an intoxicated and unconscious person.

Prosecutors said the crimes were accompanied by special allegations of great bodily harm, vulnerability of the victim, and violent conduct.

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High-Speed Crash Revealed the Rape

The charges stemmed from a Dec. 24, 2020, incident in which California Highway Patrol officers attempted to stop a speeding vehicle on Road 132 shortly after midnight. Radar showed the car was traveling 78 mph in a 55-mph zone and later reached speeds of up to 125 mph before crashing into a pole near Avenue 384.

Silva, the driver, and two passengers — a man and a woman — survived the crash. En route to the hospital, the female passenger reported to medical personnel that she believed she had been sexually assaulted. A nurse conducted a sexual assault forensic exam, and in early 2022, the California Department of Justice confirmed Silva’s sperm and DNA were present.

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Investigators learned the woman had met Silva that night while drinking with friends. He gave her alcohol, including pouring drinks directly into her mouth. She fell asleep in her car and only regained consciousness after the crash.

Silva had previously pleaded guilty in 2021 to evading police, DUI causing injury, and driving without a license in connection to the crash.

He was sentenced to a year in jail and placed on three years’ probation. While on probation in 2023, he was charged with misdemeanor battery on a significant other and vandalism.

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Silva is required to register as a sex offender for life.

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