Rubber bands from braces lead to arrest in Baltimore assault

News

By Snejana Farberov

An assault suspect was arrested in Baltimore thanks to a bizarre clue: a packet of rubber bands from his dental braces left at the crime scene.

Detectives hunting for Charles Taylor, 46, had an unexpected break when they discovered “packets of elastics used for braces” inside his abandoned tent at a homeless encampment, according to court documents.

Investigators then contacted the manufacturer of the rubber bands and learned there was only one dental office in Maryland that stocked the company’s products. 

Police went to the dental office in the Baltimore suburb of Ellicott City and showed staffers a sketch of the kidnapping suspect.

“Immediately staff recognized the suspect believed to be Charles Taylor,” a detective wrote in the charging papers.

The victim told police that on Nov. 7, she was enjoying an afternoon walk in Leakin Park when a man she didn’t know struck up a conservation about the weather with her, and then followed her along a trail, according to court records cited by The Baltimore Banner.

As the man continued talking, the woman said she noticed a shift in his tone after he brought up the death of his mother. The stranger – later identified as Taylor — also revealed that he was bipolar and suicidal.

Without warning, Taylor grabbed the woman from behind, pulled a gun on her and told her, “I’ll kill you,” the filings stated, as reported by NBC News.

The septuagenarian tried to put up a fight and bit her attacker, who responded by punching and choking the woman until she blacked out.

Taylor then allegedly dragged the unconscious victim to his tent in the woods and tied her to a chair with a rope, before groping the defenseless woman’s breasts and kissing her, according to the charging papers.

When the woman regained consciousness, she told police she tried to get Taylor to join her in prayer to keep him calm.

Eventually, the 71-year-old was able to distract her captor by asking him to look for her glasses that had fallen. She used the opportunity to untie herself from the chair and escape.

Despite her injuries suffered during the attack, the victim managed to cross a creek and make her way to a street, where she flagged down a car and called 911.

In the days after her traumatic ordeal, the victim led police detectives to Taylor’s hideout, where they found a bloody rope, an air mattress, a makeshift shower and a chainsaw, along with the telltale rubber bands.

Taylor was charged with first- and second-degree assault, sex offense, kidnapping and reckless endangerment. He was ordered jailed without bond, after receiving treatment for depression and suicidal thoughts.

Taylor’s criminal history includes a 2000 first-degree rape conviction, for which he received a 30-year prison sentence, half of which was suspended.

In 2001, Taylor was also found guilty of third-degree sexual offense and first-degree assault, and was sentenced to another 15 years.