ROCKPORT, Mass. (WHDH) — A Gloucester man accused of attacking a woman in Rockport last week was held without bail when he appeared in court Monday.
Angel Perez Castro, 22, was charged with assault with intent to rape and assault and battery on a disabled person. Police said Castro followed a woman out for a walk on Pooles Lane before sneaking up from behind and knocking her to the ground. Millard Ring said he heard the woman screaming outside his house.
“She said she was knocked to the ground and someone basically seemed like they were trying to rip off her clothes,” said Ring. “After she started screaming, the person just took off.”
Prosecutor Amy Conway said Castro told police he tried to remove the woman’s underwear because he was “curious.” When he was unsuccessful, police said he fled the area on his bicycle but was tracked down by officers.
The woman, who is in her 50s, was uninjured but Ring said she was “shaken up and distraught” when he went out to help her.
The Department of Homeland Security told police to detain Castro because he entered the United States illegally from Central America. Until this incident, DHS said Castro had a clean record.
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