RENO, Nev. — Phillip Garrido spent the 1970s on one debauchery after another: LSD trips, cocaine binges, pot smoking, public masturbation. Then in 1976, he found a new way to indulge his twisted sexual fantasies.

He kidnapped a woman from a South Lake Tahoe parking lot, handcuffed her, took four hits of acid and raped the victim in a storage unit in Reno. The investigator in the case described the storage unit as a “sex palace,” with various sex aids, pornography, stage lights and wine.

The shocking rape case provided an early glimpse into the criminal exploits of Garrido, who allegedly snatched 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard from a bus stop and held her captive for 18 years, fathering her two children, before being arrested this week.

It also serves as an example of how he managed to somehow slip through the cracks of the system. In 1977, Garrido was sentenced to 50 years for the kidnapping conviction and life for the rape conviction, but he was granted parole in 1988 for reasons that are unclear at this point.

A retired Reno police detective assigned to the first criminal case said that Garrido indicated he preferred sex by force after confessing the crimes to him. At trial, he testified that he indulged his fantasies by masturbating in restaurants and restrooms and while reading magazines and watching movies.

Dan DeMaranville, 74, told The Associated Press that a cooperative Garrido came across as intelligent and educated during his interviews with him, despite heavy drug use that started in 1968.

“I asked him after he confessed why he did it, and he said it was the only way he could get sexual satisfaction. I think he had to use force to get sexual satisfaction,” DeMaranville said.

“He gave the impression he was remorseful. But I don’t know whether it was a put-on or not,” he added.

At one point, DeMaranville asked Garrido where he got the handcuffs to detain the 25-year-old victim.

“He said it was a present from his wife. He was married at the time.”

DeMaranville, who retired from the Reno force 20 years ago and now is a security guard in Reno federal court, praised a fellow officer for nabbing Garrido several hours after he drove the woman from South Lake Tahoe to the storage unit.

Officer Clifford Conrad stopped to investigate why a car with California plates was parked outside some storage units in the early morning hours.

Finding a door lock broken off, the officer tried to open the door. Garrido came out wearing only pants while the naked woman came out yelling for help from the officer.

According to court documents, Garrido’s sanity was the main issue in the federal trial.

A defense expert, Dr. Charles B. Kuhn, testified that Garrido was dependent on both LSD and marijuana, and “did not have adequate control to conform his conduct.”

But the jury sided with a government expert, Dr. Lynn B. Gerow, who said he thought Garrido was competent to stand trial and was responsible for the acts in question.

Garrido served 10 years in the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan., before being granted parole. He then served seven months for the rape conviction in a Nevada prison before being granted an early release in August 1988. Less than three years later, he allegedly kidnapped Jaycee.

It’s not clear why he did not do more time with such long prison sentences.

Meanwhile, DeMaranville said he was surprised about Garrido’s latest arrest.

“Why is he out and about?” he asked. “If he’s on lifetime parole, where was his parole officer? The guy was a sick puppy, and should have been neutered before he was paroled.”