Bond Set For NOPD Officer Accused In Rape Of Tourist
15-Year Veteran Acquitted In 1995 Case
UPDATED: 2:23 p.m. CDT July 24, 2003
NEW ORLEANS -- Bond has been set for a 15-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department who was booked Wednesday in connection with the September 2000 sexual assault of a Florida woman, according to a NOPD news release.
The officer, Abreace Daniel, 37, was assigned to the 7th District in New Orleans East. He has been booked with aggravated rape, attempted murder, aggravated battery and second-degree kidnapping. Bond was set at $360,000.
The alleged assault took place in the 2600 block of Bartholomew Street. According to investigators, the 31-year-old woman was visiting the French Quarter when she was approached by a man who introduced himself as "Byron" from Marietta, Ga. The man engaged her in conversation and then offered to drive her back to her hotel. While in the car, the man produced a blunt metal object and struck the woman in the head, the release said.
The woman was then driven to a section of the Florida housing development that was under construction and raped, police said. After the attack, the woman allegedly was severely beaten and left at the scene.
The victim managed to wander out of the building and seek help from residents who called police. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for contusions, bruises, and head lacerations.
Sex Crimes detectives produced a composite sketch of the suspect, however, the case remained unsolved for almost three years. Investigators recently revisited the case and noticed a strong resemblance to Daniel, who later was identified by the victim in a photographic lineup.
Daniel was taken into custody Wednesday morning by agents from the Public Integrity Bureau. He has been suspended from the force without pay.
Police said Daniel is also being investigated in connection with at least two other similar rapes.
Sources said detectives obtained a warrant to search Daniel's white Pontiac Firebird. They also are looking for a black Polo shirt with a red "R" the suspect may have worn, a sliding police baton that could have been used to beat the victim, and a leather shoe taken from the victim by the rapist.
In 1995, Daniel was the subject of a sexual assault case in which he was acquitted by an Orleans Parish jury and reinstated as a police officer. In that case, Daniel was accused of picking up a college student and forcing her to have oral sex.
"Back in 1995, there was a stranded motorist somewhere in the Carrollton area, where the motorist was seeking assistance because of her car not being operable," NOPD Capt. Marlon Defillo said. "He picked the female up and drove her to an unknown location where the victim was sexually assaulted, not raped. He was eventually arrested. The case went before Criminal Court and the jury acquitted him."
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