Man charged with second sexual assault
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on July 16, 2008 1:44 PM
Exactly one week before Christian Ray Godette severely injured a Colonial Court resident, he sexually attacked another victim on N.C. 111 South, authorities say.
In September 2007, the Sheriff's Office said, Godette, now 17, began a spree of violence spaced two Sundays apart.
Authorities don't know for certain if Godette perpetrated other crimes during the week between the first-degree sexual assault and a break-in spree with multiple violent outbursts that also included sexual attacks.
The nature and character of the crimes made authorities believe the same teen-aged perpetrator was behind them.
But it wasn't until DNA evidence became available that authorities were able to pin the Sept. 16 sexual assault to Godette on Tuesday.
"Of course, when this happened, the week after, he was our prime suspect," Capt. Tom Effler said. "It just takes a while for DNA evidence to become available."
On Tuesday, Godette, who is also known by the nickname "Greg," was already in jail for another crime, authorities said.
The first-degree forcible sexual offense added $250,000 to his bond, authorities said.
Warrant officers with the Goldsboro police department said they had dealt with Godette and his twin for years, and sometimes had trouble distinguishing between them.
Twin brother Christopher Godette was incarcerated at the time of his brother's alleged violent spree and then later released. Christopher Godette was accused in October of trying to break into Maria Flores' home on North Jefferson Court on a Monday afternoon.
Lt. Shawn Harris had been assigned to investigate the case, making the arrest with the assistance of Det. Sgt. Robert Chunn.
Sheriff Carey Winders said Godette is a "predator," and that "the citizens of Wayne County are much safer with a predator like Godette behind bars." Winders also praised the State Bureau of Investigations' laboratory, which processed the DNA evidence that led to the charges.
In the spree after the sexual assault, Godette was accused of breaking into at least five homes.
Attempted sexual assaults took place with some of those victims as well, Effler said.
"Within about probably a three- or four-hour time period, we had five reports of break-ins or attempted break-ins," Effler said at the time.
Those break-ins all took place in Godette's neighborhood, on Ruby Road, Ann Street and Spring Bank Road -- homes within a half-mile of one another.
Effler said detectives were out all night searching for Godette, finally tracking him to his address using a canine officer.
The Highway Patrol assisted with the search, which ended with authorities finding Godette in a closet, authorities said.
In the Sep. 16 incident that led to Tuesday's warrants, additional charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree forcible sexual offense and second-degree kidnapping were levied against Godette.
Asked for a possible motive, Effler said he did not believe Godette, then 16 years old, was motivated by money.
"I think he's just mean, in all honesty," Effler said at the time. "He wasn't stealing anything. He was assaulting people. It doesn't seem like it's about money."