Suspect arrested for rape, robbery, and sexual torture pleads not guilty at hearing
UPDATE: Elijah Persons, accused of attacking a woman after two agreed to meet up, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing Thursday.
Investigators say he jumped in the woman’s vehicle, held her at gunpoint and raped her. The sheriff’s office says that other parts of the crime are unspeakable.
Persons is facing six charges, including first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and sexual torture.
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EARLIER STORY:
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office investigating a horrific crime out of Semmes.
Eighteen-year-old Elijah Persons is accused of raping, torturing, and robbing a local college student last week. Deputies say Persons knew the young woman he attacked and had made arrangements to meet her in Semmes on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Investigators say the victim was waiting in her car when a masked man in a hoodie and bandana over his face got in her car -- held her up at gunpoint and raped her. Other parts of this crime are unspeakable -- which point to the sexual torture charge.
The victim called the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and after preliminary investigation investigators developed Persons as a “person of interest.”
After questioning Persons -- they confiscated his cell phone and ran a digital forensic analysis -- and based on that evidence he moved to from person of interest to in their words “only suspect.”
According to deputies -- Persons tried to make a run for it when they went to arrest him Friday afternoon.
“We obtained information that he would be at his place of employment today. The warrants had already been okayed through the District Attorney’s Office -- so we went there to actually arrest him today at which time he fled on foot. And a short foot pursuit ensued. He was apprehended without incident -- no injuries to law enforcement or to Mr. Persons,” said Lt. Mark Bailey, MCSO. “These are very serious charges -- especially of a sexual nature. We’ll be asking -- the D.A.’s Office is the ultimate entity that will request a bond amount if any -- but we will be asking for the highest bond amount possible.”
They also plan to tell the judge -- they believe Persons is a “flight risk” because he chose to run from investigators.
His bond hearing set for Monday, October 17th at 9 a.m.
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