By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-07 21:08:53 | Updated at 2025-01-08 17:57:32
21 hours ago
A stranger offered to carry an elderly woman's groceries before barricading her inside of her Oregon home and repeatedly raping her for three days over Christmas.
Kenneth Gregory Williams, 69, was arrested after he allegedly approached the 74-year-old woman as she was returning home from the grocery store and offered to carry her bags back to her downtown Portland home on December 23.
After returning to her home, he held her against her will and sexually assaulted her over the course of the three days surrounding Christmas.
'These cases are incredibly rare but of course they can happen,' Portland Police Department spokesman Mike Benner told Fox 12 News.
'We can't imagine what this woman went through. It's horrifying, terrifying, you name it.'
The unidentified woman got off of public transportation at 9th Avenue and was heading home from the grocery store when she had to stop and rest from the weight of the bags.
A 'nice' stranger, who detectives later identified as Williams, offered to help her carry her bags the rest of the way.
Though reluctant at first, the woman agreed to the seemingly kind gesture - unaware that it would lead to a three-day nightmare.
Kenneth Gregory Williams, 69, was arrested after he allegedly barricaded a 74-year-old woman inside her Oregon home and repeatedly raped her for three days after offering to carry her groceries on December 23
Williams allegedly approached the woman in downtown Portland and offered to carry her groceries after he noticed she was struggling from the weight
Once inside the home, Williams allegedly blocked the door off from the inside and prevented her from leaving.
The woman told authorities that over the span of the next three days, from December 23 to December 25, she was repeatedly raped by Williams.
She was able to convince him to leave her home on December 26, when she sought immediate medical treatment at a local hospital.
Portland officers located Williams on January 5 and booked him into the Multnomah County jail on charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping and three counts of first-degree rape.
The barbaric incident led to fear among community members, especially those who stroll through downtown Portland alone.
'I try not to be alone at night, I bring my dog with me, and I carry mace,' resident Tabitha Peterson told Fox 12. 'Mace is very important because you never know nowadays.'
'I'm overly aware in my surroundings sometimes,' Peterson added. 'It's better to be safe than sorry because I've been followed before and almost kidnapped once.'
Authorities are also investigating Williams on allegations of an unrelated rape.
The elderly woman was able get medical attention after convincing Williams to leave her home on December 26
Williams was booked into the Multnomah County jail and pled not guilty on charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree kidnapping and three counts of first-degree rape
Additionally, detectives believe that there may be even more unreported cases involving the 69-year-old man - prompting them to publicly release his mugshot.
They are urging anyone who may have been a victim or those with any additional information on Williams to contact Detective Michael Bledsoe at michael.bledsoe@police.portlandoregon.gov with the reference case number 24-332946.
Williams appeared in Multnomah County Circuit Court on accusations of attacking the elderly woman on Monday and pled not guilty to all counts.
Prosecutors asked Judge Christopher Ramras to schedule a preventative detention hearing on Tuesday, where a judge will decide whether Williams should remain in jail as the trial is pending, Oregon Live reported.
Williams is set to be arraigned on the indictment on January 14.
'This is a case where this man had bad intentions and he took advantage of a woman who simply wanted help,' Benner told Fox 12.
The December incident isn't the first time Williams has run into issues with the law.
According to court records, he was previously arrested in June of 2014 for misdemeanor harassment and menacing, Fox 12 reported.
The horrifying incident comes just two months after a 63-year-old man was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old runaway in downtown Portland
In 2008, he was arrested again for coercion and tampering with a witness.
Additionally, Williams had multiple drug-related, robbery and/or misdemeanor crime arrests between the years of 1994 and 2008.
The horrifying incident comes just months after a 63-year-old man was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old runaway girl in downtown Portland, Oregon Live reported.
The teenage victim, who told police she had run away from home, lost her in early October phone while trying to find her boyfriend who typically stayed in shelters.
George Dee Moon, 63, allegedly saw the young girl crying and took her back to his apartment building after befriending her, promising that he'd help find her boyfriend.
Moon claimed that he was in his 30s, and the girl responded with her real age - believing that he was an 'old man' who wouldn't harm her.
She ultimately fell asleep on his bed and woke up to Moon yelling at her that she was the 'devil.'
When she got up to leave, Moon allegedly restrained her, pulled her clothes off and sexually assaulted her while she pleaded for him to stop.
The teen was able to escape his apartment at around 2.15am, when she told a manager and a security guard at the front desk that she'd been raped before asking for a cab.
The manager of the apartment building told investigators that they had received several similar reports involving Moon, but the teenage girl was the first victim willing to speak to police regarding her assault.
