Man Charged in August Rape of Nanny in South Nashville Park

ANTIOCH, TN — A 26-year-old native of Honduras with a reputation for eluding police has been charged in the August 4 rape of an 18-year-old nanny in Hamilton Creek Park.

Dennis Naptali Ramos-Montes has been charged with two counts of aggravated rape and one count of felony theft for stealing the victim’s cell phone.

Investigators say DNA evidence links Ramos-Montes to the daytime attack in the south Nashville park.

Ramos-Montes was already in the Metro Jail after being arrested September 15 for burglary of his ex-girlfriend’s vehicle, order of protection violation, vandalism, criminal trespassing, three counts of evading arrest, one count of attempt to evade arrest, resisting arrest and driving without a license.

Ramos-Montes was arrested August 27 on a charge of felony aggravated domestic assault. His 18-year-old girlfriend reported that he kicked her, grabbed her around the neck with both hands and dragged her off a couch. His bond was set at $35,000 and the victim obtained an order of protection.

Ramos-Montes posted bond and was released from jail September 12. Three days later, the ex-girlfriend reported she had seen Ramos-Montes in the neighborhood and that he had burglarized her car. Officers spotted him and Ramos-Montes sped away before abandoning the vehicle and fleeing on foot.

Less than an hour later, police received a call from a woman in the 1600 block of Rachels Retreat Circle. She reported that a man was on her back porch, refusing to leave. When officers responded, Ramos-Montes ran into some nearby woods.

Later in the day, officers went to an apartment where Ramos-Montes had been staying with a relative. He saw police arriving and dove through a bathroom window and again fled into some nearby woods, escaping despite being pursued by officers on the ground and in a police helicopter.

At 7 p.m. on September 15th, police were called to an apartment complex on Murfreesboro Pike in regard to a suspicious man. Officers spotted Ramos-Montes sitting on a stairwell, who again tried to run and resisted arrest, but was taken into custody, according to police.

Hermitage Precinct officers noticed Ramos-Montes resembled a composite sketch in the rape case and notified the detective on the case, who obtained a search warrant compelling Ramos-Montes to submit a DNA sample, which, police say, matched a sample recovered in the Hamilton Creek rape case. The victim’s phone, which was smashed and buried, was recovered during the course of the investigation.

Image via Metro Nashville Police