MUNCIE, Ind. — A 55-year-old Muncie man is accused of rape after recently released court documents show he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman after offering her a ride home.
The man was arrested Thursday, Aug. 8 on a preliminary charge of rape.
According to court documents, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, Muncie Police officers responded to a house on North Winthrop Road on a report of a sexual assault.
The victim allegedly told police she was leaving CSL Plasma when a man drove up to her in a pickup truck and offered to give her a ride home. The victim said she got into the vehicle and began driving. That's when the man began to allegedly sexually assault her.
According to the victim, after sexually assaulting her, the man dropped her off at her group home and left. A staff member of the group home called police to report the rape.
Court documents say the victim told police she did not know the man. She completed a rape kit exam and using the results of the examination, investigators were able to match the DNA to a 55-year-old man previously convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor.
Online court records show in Nov. 2000, the man pleaded guilty but mentally ill to two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and served 20 years in prison.
A DNA search warrant of the suspect was issued and served. Results of the DNA test took over a year before they were finalized. On Aug. 7, 2024, the DNA found on the victim was found to match the DNA of the suspect.
Also on Aug. 7, the victim agreed to meet with detectives at Muncie City Hall to discuss the incident. During the interview, the victim allegedly told police that she got into the man's truck because he offered her a ride home. After she got into the truck, the man allegedly asked the victim several times if she wanted to have sex with him.
RELATED: Man arrested after police say he raped woman, 12-year-old daughter at gunpoint on Indy's west side
The victim told police she verbally told the man "no" and that she wanted to go home. Court documents say the man did not bring up sex until the victim was in his car and drove to his house instead of dropping off the victim at her home. The victim allegedly told police that she went into his house because she was afraid he was armed and feared for her life.
When at his house, the man allegedly told the victim to "get in here" and forced the victim to have sex with him. The victim reportedly told police that she was "completely shaking" during the encounter and that she didn't want to have sex with him but was forced to against her will.
Court documents describe the assault in graphic detail, indicating the victim screamed out in pain but was told by the man to "shush."
The victim allegedly told police that to this day, she does not know the man, had never seen him before the incident and never agreed to any kind of sexual contact with him.
Following the investigation, police arrested the suspect.
(NOTE: 13News has a policy not to name suspects until formal charges are filed by a prosecutor. Once charges are filed, the suspect's name will be added to this story.)
