Pompano Teen Charged With Sexual Battery In Home Invasion
CORAL SPRINGS (CBS4) – It's the stuff nightmares are made of.
A young woman opened the windows of her Coral Springs home to take advantage of the cool weather and wound up being attacked. According to police 19-year old Gary Holmes of Pompano Beach, slipped in through an open door in the 25-year old woman's home in the 2300 block of NW 95 Avenue around 8 p.m.
"The suspect entered the house with the intention of committing a burglary and was surprised by the homeowner," said police spokesman Sgt. Dave Kirkland, "The homeowner was surprised by the suspect and he opted to attack her at that point."
Holmes, who was armed with a knife, attacked the woman, punching her with his fists while he raped her. Kirkland said at some point during the attack, the woman was able to dial 911 on her cell phone. While she never actually spoke to the operator, her entire ordeal was captured by 911.
Kirkland said what made the situation even worse was the woman had recently given birth and the child was in the home with her.
"We understand she had a new born infant in the house that was maybe a week or two old," said Kirkland. "The infant was in a separate room during the attack."
The infant was not harmed.
While the woman struggled to fight off Holmes, police officers were feverishly trying to find her, said Kirkland.
"The dispatchers were able to hear that there was some kind of confrontation. Because it was a cell phone it did not have an address. They were able to use a cell tower to come up with a general vicinity and dispatch officers," said Kirkland.
After Holmes took off on foot, the woman called 911 again – this time using a land line, according to police.
Officers set up a perimeter and Holmes was taken into custody a short time later.
Holmes has been charged with three counts of sexual battery, burglary with battery, armed occupied burglary and petty theft.
The arrest came as a shock to Holmes grandmother.
"I blame him for doing anything like that," said Holmes' 76-year-old grandmother, who did not want to give her name. "I raised 9 head of kids and I have 15 grandkids and he ain't hand no business doing that."
According to the grandmother, Holmes lives just a few homes away from the victim. She also said Holmes is a father himself.
According to the FCC, at least 70 percent of all 911 calls now come in on cell phones making it tougher for police to help you if you can't speak to them.
"I have to get ahold of that carrier and say we need you to ping this phone, we need a location...We have a proximity, but we don't know exactly where you're at. There's no CSI magic," Sgt. Kirkland told CBS4's Natalia Zea.
If you need to call 911 from a cell phone make sure to tell the dispatcher your location right away. Also, give them a callback number in case you get disconnected. Finally, if your phone has GPS or location services, make sure they're turned on; that can make it easier for the cell phone carrier to pinpoint your location.
