Gainesville Police arrested a local man Thursday evening after police said he attempted sexual battery on Tuesday.
At about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, John-Phillip Rogers, 24, tried to talk with the woman as she walked down the stairs of an apartment in the 1700 block of Northwest Third Place, according to a police report. Rogers, who is also a resident of the apartment complex, followed the woman to the parking lot where he then dragged her behind a car, according to the report.
He pulled the woman’s dress up to her stomach and placed his hand over her mouth. Rogers told the woman he would shoot her if she kept screaming, according to the report. Someone passing by interrupted Rogers, who stopped trying to unbutton his pants and ran, according to the report. The woman helped police create a sketch and later picked him from a photo lineup, according to the report.
A detective walked around the apartment complex and spotted Rogers, whom he thought resembled the woman’s description, GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias said. Rogers told police he was in the complex when the assault took place, but he denied attacking the woman, according to the report. He could not be reached for comment as of press time. Police charged Rogers with attempted sexual battery and took him to the Alachua County Jail, where he was released Sunday morning on a $75,000 bond.
Contact Giuseppe Sabella at gsabella@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Gsabella
