[ad_1]
Detectives in Baltimore identified a suspect accused of kidnapping and sexual assault using rubber bands from dental braces, according to charging documents.
According to Baltimore Police, officials arrested Charles Avon Taylor, 46, for the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of a 71-year-old woman in Leakin Park earlier this month.
Arrested on Nov. 21, he was charged with kidnapping, assault and sex abuse crimes. Court records indicate Taylor was previously convicted of first-degree rape in 2000.
According to police officials, the victim was on her daily walk in Leakin Park on Nov. 7 when an unknown man began talking to her about the weather; he then began following and threatening her.
The victim told law enforcement officials that after some threats he grabbed the woman from behind, brandished a handgun and told her, “I’ll kill you.”
To get away, the victim then attempted to bite him, to which he responded by punching her and choking her until she became unconscious, police said.
He then allegedly dragged her to an encampment area and tied her to a chair with rope. After he assaulted her, the woman said she told him that her glasses had fallen off and that she needed them to see.
She was able to untie herself and escape as the suspect searched for them.
According to NBC News, during her escape, the woman crossed a creek and climbed an embankment, where she got to a street and “screamed for help” until a driver stopped and called 911.
A police officer was called to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. Nov. 7, the charging documents say. Baltimore police released a sketch of the suspect on Nov. 9 and posted it on social media.
After officers were made aware of the incident, they released a sketch of the suspect and shared it on social media.
The victim was able to lead law enforcement to the encampment as well, where police found a bloodstained rope, an air mattress, a generator, a makeshift shower, a portable stove and chainsaw, according to charging documents.
They also found packets of elastics used for braces, which listed the manufacturer. Police contacted the company and provided the bands’ serial numbers, which allowed the company to provide a list of dental offices that supplied the rubber bands.
Only one office was located in Maryland. Sgt. Keith Savadel went to the dentist’s office and showed them a sketch of the suspect, which they recognized.
“Immediately staff recognized the suspect believed to be Charles Taylor,” Det. Latarsha Young wrote in charging documents.
Taylor checked himself into a psychiatric urgent care facility one day after the alleged kidnapping and assault, according to court records.
Following his arrest he was booked without bond at the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center, on charges including kidnapping, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and fourth-degree sex offense.
The victim suffered injuries during the assault and was treated at the hospital.
According to local station WBALTV, several residents in the area have expressed fear of walking alone since the incident. Baltimore Police confirmed that patrols have increased since the attack, and officers regularly patrol the park on foot.
[ad_2]
Source link
