A Lee county man is behind bars for allegedly raping a woman inside a dark alley near Fort Myers Beach. The man in this case, 35-year old Samuel Vance is charged with sexual assault, burglary, and larceny.
The victim told deputies she was walking towards Fort Myers from Fort Myers beach when two men, walking in the same direction struck up a casual conversation with her. One of the men walked off and Vance lead her to the alley as a short cut to a friend's house. That's when the woman says she was raped in the alley.
Vance's ex-fiance, Kristy Cribbs, says Vance was just released from jail a few days ago prior to this incident. She spoke with Four In Your Corner about the night of the alleged sex crime.
"I'm extremely sorry for the woman who he did it to," Cribbs said. "I really wish it hadn't happened to her."
The incident report details Vance grabbed the victim around the neck and threw her to the ground before raping her in the dark alley at the Fort Myers Beach Plaza.
Cribbs says her ex-fiance was banging on her door late Wednesday night pretending to be police for her to open the door.
"If he would have made it through the house, I probably would have been in the hospital or dead," she said.
Cribbs says her ex-fiance's actions are out of character. She says she was in a relationship with Vance for a year and had plans of marrying him and starting a family.
"I never loved somebody as much as I loved him," she said. "I never in a million years would have thought he would act like that."
The same night, deputies say Vance broke into a man's car and is suspected of stealing a man's wallet and car keys.
Robert Penta with the American Legion on Fort Myers Beach says the burglary victim's car belonged to an employee.
"There were deputies cars and crime scene taped off here. They were conducting a criminal investigation," Penta said.
Penta tells Four In Your Corner the alley where the alleged rape occurred is extremely dark and could use lights to deter any crime from taking place in the area.
Vance is in the Lee County Jail without bond.
