A Pleasant Hill man who law enforcement said laid in wait and held a victim against her will for approximately six hours Wednesday faces a rape charge.
Chad E. Carpenter, 36, surrendered to Roanoke Rapids police sometime after he left the residence of his former girlfriend and has been charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree rape.
Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Chuck Hasty said in a statement that Carpenter was jailed without the opportunity for bond and has an April 15 court date.
The events, according to Investigator Bobby Martin, began in the early morning hours Wednesday at an undisclosed residence in the city.
Hasty said in the statement that around 8 a.m. Master Officer Roy Ball and officers Linda Baker and Scott Blythe responded to a call about a sexual assault.
During the initial investigation the officers learned that the man, later identified as Carpenter, was known by the victim and her family.
Martin said a domestic violence protective order against Carpenter that had been in place for a year had recently expired, although it was not immediately clear how long it had been expired prior to Wednesday's call.
Hasty said Martin was called in to assist in the investigation and learned Carpenter gained entry into the residence and waited for the victim to come home.
Carpenter reportedly assaulted the victim during the night. The victim was unable to contact law enforcement until Carpenter left.
Martin said Carpenter most likely left the residence because he feared law enforcement would be called if he stayed longer.
Martin said the victim was left shaken up, but “is doing well considering.”
In the statement, Martin said, “Through the great work of all the responding patrol officers I was able to locate, arrest and charge Mr. Carpenter in this incident.”
Hasty in the statement praised the cooperative effort amongst all the officers working the case. “The teamwork by the patrol units and investigative units helped bring this individual into custody very quickly.
“Patrol units are a very important part of any investigation. They are first on the scene to most incidents and their quick assessment, information-gathering and crime scene preservation are essential for the investigative units to further investigate, arrest, charge and get convictions in many cases.”