A Manhattan man was indicted by a Queens grand jury for allegedly raping a 69-year-old woman, attacking a second woman and committing a number of other crimes at a Jamaica storage facility in March and April.
Charles Rowe, 56, of West 110th Street in Morningside Heights, was arraigned June 9 before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky on charges of predatory sexual assault, rape in the first degree, criminal sexual act in the first degree, sexual abuse in the first degree, burglary in the third degree, petit larceny, robbery in the first and second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.
According to the charges, on the evening of March 13, Rowe grabbed a woman as she was leaving her storage unit at 168-11 Douglas Ave., held a knife to her and threatened to kill her. He allegedly pulled her into a bathroom at the storage facility where he sexually abused her and raped her before fleeing. The victim was taken to the hospital where a sexual assault evidence kit was administered.
On April 25, Rowe returned to the same storage facility late in the evening and entered a woman’s storage unit, where he began rifling through her property. When the 61-year-old woman objected, Rowe said, “Let’s not turn this into a murder,” according to the charges. She struggled with Rowe, who had a metal object in his hand that he used to slash her neck and chest. He punched the woman and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Rowe fled with property belonging to the woman. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
According to the charges, several hours later, in the early morning hours of April 26, video surveillance footage showed Rowe at the same storage facility in Jamaica prying open a door and removing it from its hinges. He was seen on the video leaving the location with a shopping cart that he did not have when he entered.
On May 6, DNA evidence in the sexual offense evidence kit collected from the victim of the March 13 incident was matched to a DNA profile of Rowe. He was arrested on May 13.
“We allege this man is a stone-cold predator who subjected two women to horrific violence and damaged and stole from a local business,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “He will be held to account.”
Justice Yavinsky ordered Rowe to return to court on July 18. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
