Man arrested in kidnapping, sexual assault of woman
A man was arrested Monday after police said he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman who had been walking downtown.
The woman was on the way to her aunt's house about 11 p.m. Sunday when, according to an arrest report, Lawrence Townsend, 36, stopped her on Las Vegas Boulevard near Charleston Boulevard. He told her she looked homeless, the report said, and then offered her some of his ex-girlfriend's clothes from his room up the street.
At first the woman said no, but Townsend was "persistent," the report said. The woman agreed to walk there but insisted she would not go in his room.
Once there, Townsend told her that "he did not want her to get sick" and put a chair in the doorway, the report said. She agreed to sit there because it still allowed her to run from the Desert Star Motel room at 1210 S. Las Vegas Blvd., if necessary.
But as she sifted through clothes, Townsend slid behind her and locked the door before sexually assaulting her, police said.
She was able to escape Monday after making up a story about missing work, the report said. She then ran to another hotel and called police after the Desert Star staff turned her away because she was not a guest.
Townsend was arrested on six counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. He is being held without bail.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find her on Twitter: @rachelacrosby
