A Georgia man is behind bars after police say he smashed his way through the wall of a neighboring apartment and launched a terrifying attack on a 15-year-old girl — threatening to rape her as two younger children watched.
Obed Reyes, 29, allegedly broke through the sheetrock separating his closet from the neighboring apartment at a complex in Gainesville on Aug. 5, according to Gainesville Police.
Investigators say Reyes created a large hole in the wall and crawled directly into a closet inside the neighboring unit, where the teenage girl was with two younger relatives, ages 5 and 7.
What happened next quickly turned into a nightmare.
Police say Reyes grabbed the teen, punched her repeatedly and threatened to rape her. The girl fought back and managed to escape from the apartment into the building’s breezeway.
But authorities say Reyes followed her and allegedly dragged her by the hair as she screamed for help.
Those screams may have helped save her.
Witnesses heard the commotion and immediately called 911. Officers arrived shortly before 10 p.m. and allegedly found the attack still underway.
Police quickly pulled Reyes away from the teenager and took him into custody.
Photos released by authorities show the large jagged hole allegedly left in the wall between the two apartments, revealing the disturbing route Reyes is accused of using to enter the girl’s home.
Reyes has been charged with burglary, aggravated assault, attempted rape, kidnapping and two counts of cruelty to children in connection with the alleged attack.
Authorities said he is also facing an immigration-related charge. His immigration status was not immediately clear.
Gainesville Police Chief Jay Parrish praised the witnesses who sprang into action after hearing the teenager’s cries.
“I commend the witnesses’ quick response of calling 911 to get our officers there in time to prevent further torment and trauma of the victim,” Parrish said. “‘See something, say something’ goes a long way in our community and we are grateful to have a community that looks out for each other.”
Parrish also credited the responding officers with stopping the violent encounter.
“Our officers did an excellent job removing a violent criminal off the streets, and that was just the beginning,” he said.
The chief acknowledged that the teenager now faces a difficult recovery after the horrifying ordeal.
“The victim has a long road of recovery ahead following such traumatic events and we hope our community can surround her with that support,” Parrish said.
Reyes is being held without bond at the Hall County Jail as the case moves forward.
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He is also facing an immigration-related charge. Gosh and golly-gee. You don’t suppose he’s an illegal do you? Hard to believe one of those folks would ever do something like this!