MetroWest Rape Suspect Arrested After Anonymous Tip
Posted: 11:42 am EST February 15, 2007Updated: 6:21 pm EST February 15, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A teenager is under arrest for raping a woman in her MetroWest apartment. The 17-year-old suspect was found living in a garage at the Serenata Condos on Metrowest Boulevard. The condos are only about a mile away from the Tradewinds complex, on Raleigh, where the attack happened Wednesday.
ARREST AFFIDAVIT: Leighton Henry Arrest (PDF file)
Officers arrived at the condo overnight to find a door partially open. When they went inside, they said, the suspect was hiding under a table and apparently living in the garage.
An anonymous caller recognized Leighton Henry, 17, from surveillance video shown on TV and called 911, sending detectives scrambling to search for evidence."Sometimes we're lucky and sometimes it's just that one tip that's gonna break it and that's what happened in this case," said Sgt. Barbara Jones, Orlando Police Department.It was a case that had neighbors living in fear. A woman arrived home to her Tradewinds condo where, police said, Henry was waiting and raped her. They found a gun matching the one the victim described hidden among Henry's piles of clothing, personal effects and even bags of drugs."It frightened me to death. I ran right out here to find out where the building was. I feel very unsafe right now," said neighbor Carrie Amelio.Neighbors told Eyewitness News they'd seen lots of traffic in and out of the condo, but didn't know the man living there.Detectives found a Jamaican passport, but haven't released Henry's connection to the people renting the condo. He was cutting his hair when police caught him, but that didn't stop the victim from picking him out of a photo lineup."It's just amazing," said neighbor Jessica Faison. "I don't know who it was who stepped up and knew he was living here. They must be local. I just thank God I'll be moving soon."Henry is currently at the juvenile detention center. He'll be transferred to the adult jail in the coming days.Police have also contacted Immigration Customs Enforcement to see whether he was even in the country legally or not.
ARREST AFFIDAVIT: Leighton Henry Arrest (PDF file)Officers arrived at the condo overnight to find a door partially open. When they went inside, they said, the suspect was hiding under a table and apparently living in the garage.
Previous Stories:
- February 14, 2007: Surveillance Image Released Of MetroWest Rape Suspect
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