Rubber Bands From Braces Led To Accused Kidnapper's Arrest: Reports

BALTIMORE, MD — A Baltimore man accused of sexually assaulting a 71-year-old in Leakin Paek earlier this month was arrested and charged after investigators followed clues left by rubber bands used for his braces, according to multiple outlets including NBC News.

Police said that the man, 46-year-old Charles Avon Taylor, struck up a conversation with and then began to follow the woman while she was walking on the Gwynns Falls Trail on the evening of Nov. 7. He then grabbed the woman and brandished a handgun, violently assaulting her when she tried to flee, according to police.

The woman was then dragged off the trail to an encampment, where she said Taylor sexually assaulted her, WBALTV reported.

After the woman—who had been seriously injured—was able to break free and escape, she led investigators to the encampment where the alleged assault took place, NBC News reported. There, authorities found a chair she said she had been tied to, blood-stained rope, and packets of elastics used for braces, according to the outlet.

Authorities contacted the manufacturer of the rubber bands and learned that there was only one dental office in Maryland that supplied them, NBC News reported. Police showed a sketch of the suspect to the dental office's staff, and they identified the sketch as possibly being that of Taylor, according to the outlet.

Taylor was arrested Nov. 21 in Towson, police said. He is facing charges including assault, reckless endangerment, kidnapping, and a sex offense.

His trial is set for the afternoon of Dec. 20 in Baltimore, court records show.