South Platte Park Sex Attack: Littleton Police ID Man In Custody

LITTLETON, CO – Littleton police announced the name of a man arrested in the sexual assault of a woman near the South Platte River Wednesday morning.

With the help of "Good Samaritan" witnesses, Johnny Dewayne Harris, 48, was taken into custody police said in a statement Thursday. Harris was believed to be homeless, police said.

Around 7:15 a.m., the female victim, 29, was walking her dog near alone in a wooded area with her dog , near Reynolds Landing on the Mary Carter Greenway when the Harris allegedly grabbed her and pulled her off the trail. The victim was able to free herself and escaped, police said. She was later taken to a local hospital to be evaluated.

The victim identified herself on Facebook, the Denver Post reported and gave a harrowing description of the attack. She said she passed the man in the woods and then saw him again following her.

“About 30 seconds later I noticed him very close behind me. I saw he had a rope in his hands and at that point he was too close to try and put any distance between us,” she wrote, as reported by the Post. “He strangled me from behind and drug me into the woods about 15 feet off the trail where he removed almost all of my clothes. He continued to choke me using his hands, the rope and with a bandanna of some sort.

“I fought like hell and screamed my brains out. Even my sweet dog tried to fight him and bite him as much as she could. He threatened to kill me, I believe to get me to stop screaming. I thought that this could be the end, but I was not about to give up fighting for my life."

She wrote that she was "hog tied" from her neck to her wrists and from wrists to ankles, but she somehow managed to untie the ropes on her feet and escape.

“I had no choice at that point but to run for my life as fast as I could, unfortunately without my dog,” she wrote. “I made it to the bike path almost completely naked screaming for help. I’m so thankful there were people around that ultimately were able to protect me.”

Witnesses on bicycles helped identify Harris to the patrol officer responding to the call, police said in a statement.

Harris is currently jailed at Arapahoe County Detention Center, facing charges of sexual assault and kidnapping, police said.

Police said the Mary Carter Greenway was generally a safe place to walk and recreate.

"Although events of this nature are extremely rare in Littleton, and South Platte Park is safe for visitors, citizens should always maintain an awareness of their surroundings and report anything suspicious to the police."

Police said they would not yet be releasing Harris's photo because the investigation is ongoing.

Read the report in the Denver Post here.

Image via Shutterstock

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