Loudoun County Indicts 'East Coast Rapist' Suspect
LEESBURG, Va. (AP) -- A grand jury in Loudoun County has indicted the man that police believe is the East Coast Rapist, responsible for rapes and other attacks on 17 women since 1997.
Prosecutor Jim Plowman said the charges against Aaron H. Thomas, 39, include rape, forcible sodomy and abduction with intent to defile. All three are punishable by life in prison.
The Leesburg attack occurred in 2001, when a 41-year-old woman was tied up and raped in her apartment after the suspect threatened her with a screwdriver.
Police arrested Thomas earlier this month in Connecticut, where he is being held on charges stemming from a 2007 attack.
Prince William County has also levied formal charges against Thomas that carry a life sentence.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
