2 Charged In Sexual Assault Likely Connected To Devastating Detroit Apartment Fire
DETROIT (WWJ) - Two young men have been arraigned on sexual assault charges in a case that could possibly be connected with a fire that completely destroyed an apartment building on the city's west side.
Carlos Love, 21, and Dantraz Oliver-McClung, 19, were both arraigned last Saturday on three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct and five counts of criminal sexual conduct with intent to commit sexual penetration. Both are being held without bond at the Wayne County Jail, awaiting their next court date.
According to police, the incident happened during the early morning hours of March 5 at the Jason Manor Apartments on Schoolcraft Road, near Outer Drive and I-96.
Police were called to the complex around 3:10 a.m. after a 19-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted by multiple men. The call came in as a loud party was talking place in one of the basement units. Investigators said there's no indication that the woman, who does not live at the complex, knew her attackers.
Just a few hours later, police were called back to the apartments because of a fire. When officers arrived on the scene, the north end of the building was completely engulfed in flames.
At least 80 firefighters and 20 trucks responded to the fire. Four people were taken to hospitals and several others were treated for minor injuries at the scene. Crews rescued 25 people who were trapped inside their apartments, while other residents, some nearly naked, frantically jumped from windows to escape the flames. Nearly all of the building's 42 units were occupied. No deaths have been reported, although several residents were unaccounted for after the fire was extinguished.
The fire, which is still under investigation, has officially been declared an arson.