By Staff
Attacker stole firearm from victim’s home
By CHRISTINA HALE, Staff Writer
An Aurora man was charged Tuesday with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Beaufort County woman during an incident that occurred about two weeks ago.
Reginald Lewis Barnes, 38, of 341 Middle Road, Aurora, was charged with first-degree sexual offense, first-degree kidnapping and larceny of a firearm, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Barnes allegedly entered a house on Royal Highway on Jan. 13, stole a firearm inside the home, sexually assaulted a woman and forced her to leave with him, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. The victim’s name was not released.
The woman was found about an hour later — about 1.5 miles away from her home — at a house on Middle Road in Aurora, according to a press release. It was not immediately clear if the house where the victim was found was Barnes’ home.
Capt. Kenneth Watson said the attacker did not force his way into the house and no shots were fired during the attack. The woman and her attacker were “acquaintances,” according to the report.
Two other unidentified people were listed as victims, on the incident report, but Watson would not clarify if they were minors or confirm that anyone was actually in the house at the time of the assault.
Following the sexual assault, the woman was seen with her attacker heading east on Royal Highway toward N.C. Highway 33 on foot, according to a press release.
Watson said deputies searched for about an hour before the woman was located at the house on Middle Road in Aurora. The woman reportedly “walked up” to the house alone, Watson said. She was transported to Beaufort County Hospital.
Barnes is currently being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center under a $30,000 bond.
Investigators learned that the firearm stolen from the woman’s house belonged to Chester Brown, 62, of 1180 Royal Highway, Aurora, who was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance in 1998, according to the N.C. Department of Correction.
Watson would not identify a relationship between Brown and the woman. When asked if Brown’s residence on Royal Highway was where the incident took place, Watson refused to answer, saying he was protecting the identity of the victim.
Brown was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of a firearm by a felon, according to a press release. He was released after posting a $1,000 bond, said a spokesman with the Beaufort County Detention Center.