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Rapist Caught In Act, Detectives Say

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 11, 2007

DUNEDIN - A burglary suspect under surveillance by Pinellas County sheriff's detectives was arrested Wednesday after he was caught raping a woman, authorities said.

Alan Anthony Martin, 27, of 1147 King Arthur Court in Dunedin, was charged with sexual battery and two counts of burglary to an occupied dwelling. He was being held at Pinellas County Jail, with bail set at $90,000.

At 1:30 a.m. Monday and 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Martin broke into homes where women lived, sheriff's officials said. By Wednesday morning he was under surveillance. Pinellas sheriff's officials would not say why detectives were focusing on Martin as a suspect.

At 1:30 a.m. Monday, he entered an apartment at 1146 King Arthur Court through an unlocked bedroom window, according to officials and jail affidavits. A woman in the room heard him and called out to him, and Martin hid in a closet, affidavits say. When the victim ran away, Martin did, too, the affidavits say.

At 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Martin broke into a residence at 2779 Cypress Drive in Clearwater and found a woman asleep on a couch, a jail affidavit says. He removed his pants, and the victim awakened and screamed, the affidavit says. Martin took off, leaving his shoes and pants, according to the affidavit.

Investigators did not have enough evidence to charge him in either burglary, so they decided to put him under surveillance, sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said.

At 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, while under surveillance, Martin approached a woman from behind at State Road 580 and U.S. 19 and threw her to the ground, according to officials and affidavits.

Before detectives were able to reach him, he took off her pants and then his pants, Bordner said. He was attempting to sodomize her when he was stopped, the sergeant said.

'A detective immediately intervened,' sheriff's spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda said. 'However, Martin was able to commit this act.'

Only after Martin was interviewed, and acknowledged the burglaries, were detectives able to charge him with the break-ins, along with the sexual battery, Bordner said.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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