Sikeston, Mo., teenager faces charges in connection with November rape of 80-year-old woman

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle filed charges Tuesday against a Sikeston, Mo., man in connection with rape of an 80-year-old woman in Cape Girardeau.

Mitchell T. West, 17, faces charges of rape, attempted forcible sodomy, theft of a credit device and burglary.

The rape occurred two weeks ago in a south side neighborhood, where the victim said in an interview Tuesday she's always felt safe in the four years she's lived there.

On Nov. 30, around 7 p.m., the victim said she was at her residence when she answered a knock on her door.

The man, dressed in dark clothing, forced his way into her home and raped her, according to the victim's account.

Before leaving, she told police the attacker he stole her wallet, which contained credit cards, from her purse.

Though the house was dark, the victim said she believed the man who assaulted her couldn't be any older than 20, and may have been younger.

"I said he's a young man -- I don't know how to tell. I'm 80 years old -- everyone looks young," she said.

West was arrested Sunday after police responded to a neighborhood in the southeast part of the city for a suspicious person call, according to Sgt. Barry Hovis, spokesman for the police department.

A neighbor called 911 when she heard glass breaking at the victim's home.

West allegedly broke into the home of the rape victim, but she was not there at the time, Hovis said.

Police had been keeping a close eye on the neighborhood because the victim had originally planned to return home over the weekend, but remained at a relative's house at the last minute, the victim said.

West was apprehended when he tried to escape through the garage door and flee on foot, police said.

The victim learned about the attempted burglary when the police notified her that she needed to come identify some jewelry West allegedly attempted to steal.

In an interview room at the Cape Girardeau Police Department, West admitted to having sexual intercourse with the woman, according to a probable-cause statement by Detective Jimmy Smith.

"I said, 'Thank God they caught him,'" the victim said Tuesday.

West told Smith he'd been intoxicated that night and gone to the house because he wanted to ask if he could use the phone to call for a ride, Smith reported.

The victim told police she didn't smell any alcohol on her attacker's breath, she said.

Since the attack, she has stayed busy, and is doing well, she said.

"I'm doing great, as far as I'm concerned," she said.

She credits detective Jimmy Smith and rape investigator detective Debi Oliver, as well as the other officers who worked on the case, with solving it so quickly.

"The police have been wonderful -- nobody better say anything bad about the police department," she said, laughing.

The officers who assisted in the case even suggested extra security measures she could take to increase her protection at her home, she said.

Dan's Lock and Key Shop, at 1754 Independence St., also helped make some of the suggested changes, free of cost, and gave her a "mugger buster" device to protect herself.

She's also grateful her neighbor's quick actions brought the police to her home so quickly Sunday.

"We have a good neighborhood now," she said."Everyone looks out for each other."

She said she can't wait to return to her home.

As a result of Sunday's incident, West is also charged with burglary, resisting arrest and stealing.

West is currently held at the Cape Girardeau County Jail on $250,000 cash only bond.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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