Woman alleges rape
By Nelson Bland
Published in News on November 26, 2013 1:46 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive police are investigating a 29-year-old woman's claim that she was raped last week after she left a photo shoot at LJ Image Photography at 800 N. Church St.
The attack happened across the street from the business, and the photo shoot is not related to the alleged attack, police said. The building also houses a martial arts business.
Police said the victim, who has a Jacksonville address, drove back to her home from Mount Olive and went to a hospital in Jacksonville.
Det. Sgt. John Duncan said he went to Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, where a nurse who treated the victim told him that the victim was upset and reported that she had been raped.
Duncan retrieved a rape kit from the hospital as part of the investigation, according to the report. He also interviewed the victim.
According to the report, the victim said she left the studio and went to McDonald's to get some coffee when she realized she had left her cellphone behind. When she returned to the studio, a male karate instructor grabbed her and told her not to scream.
The suspect was described as a tall white male, age not given, wearing a gray toboggan with a tan coat similar to a Carhartt coat, blue jeans and black boots with red shoe laces.
Police said the victim reported that the suspect "just stopped suddenly" during the attack and told her "'That just stays between us.'"
According to the police report, the owner of both the martial arts and photography businesses, Lyndon Johnson, told officers that no one met anyone for a photo shoot at the business on the night and time reported by the victim. He said that on the night the incident is alleged to have occurred, he did some cleaning after karate classes before leaving the building and locking it.
Johnson is not a suspect in the case, police said.
Officers said Johnson told them that two other people involved with the karate classes have keys to the building at the corner of North Church Street and East Park Avenue.