After a nearly daylong search, police found and arrested a man for attempting to rape a young Gainesville woman inside her apartment after he forced his way through her front door Tuesday night.
During their investigation, police identified Joshua Taylor, 34, as a suspect and arrested him at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night.
Police said Taylor attempted to open the woman’s door at Kensington South Apartments, located at 3901 SW 20th Ave., at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The woman — who is in her 20s — opened the door thinking it was her roommate.
Taylor then pushed his way inside and shut the door behind him as she tried to escape, according to a Gainesville Police arrest report. He forced her to the floor, grabbed her crotch and began ripping her clothes off in an attempt to rape her, according to the report.
The woman fought back, screamed for help and was able to grab Taylor by his long dreadlocks. After a few minutes of fighting with the woman, he got up and ran away, according to the report. The woman immediately locked the door and called police.
Taylor knocked on several doors in the neighborhood before the woman’s. A male witness told police that Taylor knocked on his door and told him his name was “Jay” and he was selling cologne, according to the report.
As police spoke to witnesses in the neighborhood Wednesday, they picked up on a description of a suspicious man who frequently came to the area to sell cologne to random people, according to the report. The description of the man matched the woman’s and other witnesses’ descriptions of Taylor.
Police then pulled up an image of Taylor, and the woman and witnesses confirmed the description, according to the report.
Taylor was brought to the Alachua County Jail on Wednesday night, where he awaits a Thursday morning court appearance. He faces charges of sexual assault and burglary.
“We unfortunately live in a time that there is violence and there is crime out there, and it’s very important for people to be ready should something happen to them,” said GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias at a Wednesday morning press conference.
Tobias said the woman has access to services from rape-victim advocates from the Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center, located at 218 SE 24th St., and will continue to have access during the investigation.
An attempted rape by a stranger, similar to what happened Tuesday night, is a rare occurrence in Gainesville, Tobias said. He said most of the sexual batteries and rapes that GPD investigates involve date rapes, acquaintance rapes or alcohol-assisted rapes.
“I cannot stress how importantly we take these investigations,” Tobias said. “Cases of sexual violence are the most invasive to a victim.”
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
