Carroll County man charged with rape of New Franklin woman
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Carroll County man has been arrested and charged after allegedly raping a New Franklin woman at her home late Tuesday.
Christian Crawford, 22, of Carrollton, was booked Thursday morning on a felony charge of second-degree rape and a misdemeanor charge of patronizing prostitution. He was being Friday held in the Howard County Jail. An arraignment was held Thursday. A bond review hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.
According to a probable cause statement from the Howard County Sheriff's Office, authorities became aware of a report of rape in New Franklin Tuesday night and the report was confirmed after speaking to the victim.
The victim claimed that when she tried to leave her room Crawford forced her onto the bed and attacked her with a pocket knife he found in the room before sexually assaulting her.
The victim provided further evidence to authorities that allegedly showed that Crawford used blackmail and threats to coerce her into performing sexual acts, leaving her with a feeling that she had no other choice, according to the statement.
Crawford allegedly admitted to the acts when questioned, saying they were in exchange for the victim's "freedom," the statement says. He told investigators the crimes happened between May and July and were in exchange for goods and money, according to the sheriff's office.
