COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Deputies say an elderly woman managed to fight off a 19-year-old who broke into her home and attempted to sexually assault her last week.
According to the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on Manly Smith Road in Nakina around 3:30 a.m. on May 22.
The 75-year-old victim told deputies she was awoken in the middle of the night by an intruder in her bedroom. The male suspect attempted to sexually assault her but she fought him off and reached for her phone to call 911, she said. The suspect managed to grab her phone and flee the home.
The victim was able to contact 911 after finding her medical alert device. She was not injured during the attack.
Later that day, investigators identified the suspect as Marcus Ryan Heimnick, 19, and arrested him on charges of first-degree burglary, two counts of attempted second-degree rape, common law robbery, and interfering with emergency communications.
He was booked in jail under a $515,000 bond.
Copyright 2020 WECT. All rights reserved.
More headlines from CBS17.com:
- Wake County program offers eviction, assistance for COVID-19 impacted renters
- 90-year-old Florida man hits hole-in-one
- Man charged with rape after 13-year-old girl taken from Nashville Walmart
- California governor signs law prompted by photo scandal in Kobe Bryant helicopter crash
- Titans suspend team activities after multiple players, staffers test positive for COVID-19
For more stories like this that matter to you, click here to download the CBS 17 News app for free.
Watch live newscasts, get breaking news and sign up for push alerts – download now
