News

Actions

Man kidnaps and rapes woman from homeless campsite

Victim says man sexually assaulted her in the past
Posted at 6:30 PM, Jul 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-14 07:27:34-04

An Immokalee man is accused of raping and kidnapping a woman at a homeless camp. The suspect in this case, 30-year-old Paul Bihari is charged with sex assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping.

The incident happened in April 2017 but recent DNA results confirmed DNA collected from the victim and the grip of the firearm and magazine matched Bihari's profile.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office has redacted the location of the incident.

The victim told deputies she was reading a book in the tent where she resides when Bihari opened her tent, pulled her out of her living space, and dragged her down through the dirt to a wooded area, forcing her to perform sexual acts in the bushes.

Four In Your Corner went to Bihari's last known addresses listed in Immokalee where he supposedly lives. The area was not accessible.

People living nearby did not recognize Bihari but say they're shocked to know the details of the incident.

"That person should be held accountable for what he's done," a neighbor said.

"It's scary to know that happened. I will definitely have my guard up," another neighbor said.

The victim told detectives Bihari has sexaully assaulted her in the past but she did not report it. She says Bihari has been traveling from campsite to campsite to sexually assault her. However, she will be pressing charges.

A spokesperson with Guadalupe Social Services - a non profit that works with homeless people,  recognized Bihari but confirmed he had not visit their shelter in the past. She says it is common for homeless campgrounds to pop up in the area and often is a hot spot for crime.

"They're homeless people, they need to be loved and a lot of people don't show them love and then they go into violence and drug abuse and alcohol abuse," Yanira Garcia said.