Police: Bucks County Rape Suspect Arrested After Victim Texts 911
BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) – A suspected rapist is now behind bars in Bucks County after his reported victim texted 911 for help while hiding in a closet.
Police say they got the text from a woman around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, saying she was sexually assaulted and she was still in the bedroom with the man who raped her, unable to leave.
"The 911 dispatcher walking her through the process tells her, 'Listen; we have to stop texting. Dial 911 but don't talk,' because the guy was still in the area," said Director of Benslaem police department Fred Harran, noting that coordinates can be more precisely zoned in on via a phone call.
Harran says police tracked the GPS location of the call to a rental apartment on Neshaminy Valley Drive and rescued the woman.
"This guy is a true bad guy," said Harran."Police arrived and actually found the victim hiding in a closet."
The victim tells police, around 10 p.m. Friday, in the Bensalem apartment, 23-year-old Christopher Henneghan of Collingdale, punched her in the face. He then raped her repeatedly at knifepoint.
Harran says calling 911 is still the best option.
"You can answer questions the dispatcher might be asking. It's certainly a lot quicker than texting, but when all else fails when all you can do it text, that's better than nothing," said Harran.
After initially claiming the encounter was consensual, Henneghan reportedly fled to Delaware County, where authorities tracked him down.
Henneghan was arraigned Wednesday, charged with multiple counts of rape, involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, and sexual assault.
He's in Bucks County prison with bail set at 10 percent of $10 million.
