17-year-old charged in sexual assault, botched robberies

A Cape Girardeau teenager was in jail Friday following his arrest on four felony charges and two misdemeanor charges stemming from two separate botched robbery attempts.

Cape Girardeau police arrested Karnett Kenneth Redmond, 17, 419 S. Pacific St., after a two-hour chase that started near Sprigg and North streets at around 1 a.m. and ended at around 3:30 a.m. on top of a building at 718 Broadway.

The chase began when an unnamed woman was walking to her apartment building and noticed a man in a dark blue hooded sweat shirt and a pink mask following her. Upon reaching her apartment building, the woman looked back to the see the man running toward her.

According to police accounts, the woman began knocking on neighbors' doors for help. When the man reached her, he pulled out a handgun and demanded money. She said she had no money. The robber fled.

After talking to the woman, officers cordoned off an area from Frederick Street to Pacific Street and from Broadway to North Street.

A man fitting the description was seen in the 200 block of Ellis Street by police officers who saw a weapon in his hand. A chase followed toward Broadway, and police lost sight of the suspect. This time police set up a perimeter from Sprigg Street to Ellis Street and from Broadway to Bellevue Street and called for a police dog.

The search with the dog failed, so police called the fire department to help in gaining access to the rooftops on Broadway. Redmond was found on top of 718 Broadway, which houses Alyshia's Magical Moments. He was arrested at gunpoint.

Police found a 9 mm Ruger pistol with the serial numbers filed off on Ellis Street and a pink scarf on Bellevue Street.

Redmond admitted to the attempted robbery during a police interview, according to police reports.

After the arrest, officers also had reason to believe Redmond had committed a similar crime late Wednesday night. Police say a man bearing a similar description had approached another woman coming home to her apartment, displayed a gun and asked for money. This woman also said she had no money, and the robber took her to the corner of the apartment's parking lot and forced her to perform oral sex on him at gunpoint.

The Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office charged Redmond Friday with the felonies of forcible sodomy, armed criminal action and first-degree attempted robbery in connection with Wednesday's assault. Redmond was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon, resisting arrest and possession of a defaced firearm in Friday morning's incident.

Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Rick Schmidt said the arrest was the result of good work by both police and victims who gave accurate accounts of events.

Redmond's bond was set at $100,000.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182