PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - October 23, 2020 - According to an online news report in WinkNews.com, a 24-year-old man from Port Charlotte man has been charged in an attempted kidnapping case that occurred almost a year ago. DNA evidence linked the 24-year-old man to the kidnapping attempt. The suspect is currently incarcerated, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
The suspect was arrested back on October 15, 2020, for prowling, loitering, and resisting a law enforcement officer without violence. The arrest followed a foot chase in Starlite Lane, Port Charlotte. According to the news report, the suspect was having his DNA checked in an earlier attempted kidnapping case. The DNA came back with test results the same day that implicate the suspect in the November 2019 attempted kidnapping case. In that incident, the suspect allegedly attempted to kidnap a female close to the intersection of Ollie's Pond Park and Felda Street, which is close to Brown's home, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.
The news report claims that a woman was jogging early one morning when a strange man struck her on her bottom. When the female jogger turned around, the woman saw a man who was wearing a black ski mask to conceal his had. The mask was made of wool. The woman described the attacker as being about 5'10", slender but muscular, and the attacker's age was approximately mid- 20s.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office stated that the suspect grasped her by her hands, lifted her up, pulled the victim into the woods, and the suspect allegedly slammed the victim onto the ground and the suspect stood over the victim. The woman tried to battle off the attacker but was she was unsuccessful by using physical force against her attacker. The victim then tried to speak the attacker from hurting her by asking the suspect questions and discussing spiritually. The attacker eventually took the victim's hand, and he told the suspect to "go home."
The woman sustained injuries before she tried to get away from the suspect. Once the woman arrived at her home, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office was contacted. People living in the neighborhood began a search for the suspect using the victim's description, but he was nowhere to be found. The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office Deputies collected evidence that also included the victim's clothing. This evidence ultimately lead to the suspect's arrest.
On the back of the victim's running shirt was assumed to be the blood of the defendant. The blood sample was collected and then sent off to be analyzed for DNA. On October 15, 2020, the same day, the suspect was arrested on a different charge, and investigators learned from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that they had a CODIS match that matched the suspect. Despite the arrest, the victim stated that she plans to always keep her guard up, and she hopes that others will not back down.