LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - Police arrested a man in Lawrence after he allegedly kidnapped and raped a 13-year-old girl.
Police said they responded to a report of an abduction and sexual assault of a middle school student just after 10 a.m. Thursday. The girl, a student at South Lawrence Middle School, told police she was walking to school near Boxford and Phillips streets when she was grabbed from behind by a man she did not know. The girl told police he forcibly carried her to an apartment on Phillips Street, where he raped her.
The said the suspect held her against her will for more than two hours and then released her. She eventually made it to school where she contacted her mother. Police said the girl was very critical in helping them pinpoint who the suspect was, calling her a “courageous young person.”
The girl was taken to the hospital, where she was treated and released. Later Thursday, the school also alerted parents through a voicemail.
According to the Essex County District Attorney’s office, 21-year-old Angel Mateo, is now in custody. Police said Mateo was on supervised released and was wearing an ankle monitor. His landlords said they were in the process of evicting him and two other people who live with him, saying they are noisy at night and play loud music. Neighbors said police always seemed to be at his apartment.
Mateo was charged with kidnapping and aggravated statutory rape and will be arraigned Friday.
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