Convicted Sex Offender Held Without Bail In South End Sexual Assault
BOSTON (CBS) - A homeless man is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing after police say he broke into a South End apartment in the middle of the night and violently attacked two women.
Ronald Brown, 52, was allowed to shield his face in Boston Municipal Court as the charges of kidnapping, aggravated rape, burglary and armed assault were read.
The crime has alarmed the neighborhood. "Definitely an uneasy feeling to know that's happening right in our own backyard," said Kelsey Whitaker.
Brown is also on the state's sex offender registry as a level 3 convicted rapist with a history of assaults and breaking and entering. Police say he tied up both women, and blindfolded and gagged one of them before raping her.
He allegedly yelled, "I hate Chinese people, if you scream I'll kill you."
According to the Sex Offender Registry Board website, Brown was convicted on two counts of aggravated rape in 1986.
Police say he left behind a key piece of evidence, a prescription medication bottle with his name on it and they traced him to the Pine Street Inn.
But it was hours before they were even notified of the attack because the victim went to her job at a local hospital before telling anyone what happened.
The quick arrest is now a relief to the neighborhood. "I think that comforts everyone knowing he was caught so quickly," said Whitaker.
Police say he also stole the victims' laptops and cellphones and demanded their pass-codes before he fled.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports