NORWICH — A Norwich man appeared in court Monday on charges he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman he met at Mohegan Sun.
Demetrius A. Carswell, 32, of 47 Division St., had his case transferred from Norwich Superior Court to Part A of New London Superior Court, which handles the most serious accusations. He is scheduled to appear there on May 5.
Carswell, listed on court documents as a single, unemployed father of two who has a live-in girlfriend, is free on $200,000 bail. A condition of his release is that he have no contact with his accuser, a 32-year-old New London woman.
Police said after offering the woman a ride home from the casino during the early morning hours of March 30, Carswell instead took her to a deserted site in Norwich, assaulted her, threatened to shoot her in the head and raped her. He also told her that he had AIDS, the woman told police.
Carswell was questioned by police later that day after he and his van had been identified using Mohegan Sun surveillance video. He told police that he didn’t remember anything after leaving a club at the casino where he had been drinking and dancing, and he had no memory of leaving the casino with a woman.
The woman told police she went to Mohegan Sun with two other women on the night of March 29. She left the other women to have drinks with a man she met at the Vista Lounge, police said, but she and this man later parted ways.
Carswell told police he went to Mohegan Sun by himself after his girlfriend fell asleep when he wanted to have sex with her. Surveillance video showed that he arrived at the casino shortly after midnight, police said. He saw the woman walking alone, police said, and approached her.
The woman said that after she got in his Dodge minivan to go home and they left the casino, instead of turning left on Route 32 to drive to New London, he turned right toward Norwich.
Police said Carswell pulled into a parking lot behind a West Thames Street business, parked and assaulted the woman in his van.
Police later searched the van and said they found one of the woman’s earrings that Carswell allegedly ripped out of her ear during his attack.
Police also said they took DNA samples from Carswell and the woman.
The woman, who said she was drunk that night, told police she was not sure she could identify Carswell as her attacker.
Norwich police arrested Carswell on Friday. He is accused of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree sexual assault, third-degree assault, second-degree threatening and first-degree unlawful restraint.
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