A man accused of raping a 75-year-old woman will remain in the Henry County jail after his bond was denied, the District Attorney’s Office said Friday.
Travale Lamar Farris was arrested in March and charged with rape, aggravated sexual battery, burglary in the first degree and false imprisonment, as well as three counts of criminal attempt to commit burglary in the first degree.
Farris, 28, lived less than a mile from the Heritage at McDonough Senior Living Complex where the woman was attacked Feb. 5, police said. Investigators previously released surveillance video of the suspect going door to door at the complex off Bridges Road, around the time the woman was assaulted.
The man, later identified as Farris, was shown walking around the community checking to see if any doors were unlocked until he found one that was. After the assault, he was seen leaving the woman’s apartment.
A $12,500 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest in the case, but investigators linked Farris to the assault using DNA evidence from the scene, according to McDonough police Maj. Kyle Helgerson.
The assault prompted five Henry County law enforcement agencies to create a task force aimed at identifying and arresting the suspect. Those agencies included the sheriff’s office, the Henry County Police Department, McDonough police, Locust Grove police and Hampton police. Investigators also got help from the GBI and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.
On Friday, Judge Holly Veal denied bond for Farris, ruling that he is a danger to the community and is at risk of re-offending and intimidating witnesses and is a flight risk, the district attorney’s office said. The case remains under investigation.
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