A man accused of raping and stalking several women in the Philadelphia area last week is in custody in his home state of Indiana and being investigated for sexual assaults and robberies in as many as eight states, law enforcement officials said Monday.
Kevin Bennett, 28, was arrested in his hometown of Indianapolis over the weekend and it may take weeks before he is extradited back to Philadelphia to go before a judge here, District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
That's because Bennett was already wanted in connection with crimes in Indiana and as many as eight states, including six in the southern United States, Krasner and other law enforcement officials including an agent with the FBI said.
"This is a predatory rapist," Krasner said. "The activity is not confined to Philadelphia. It appears to include atcivity in other areas outside of Philadelphia, but also areas in other states."
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An extensive nationwide search took place over a few days last week after Philadelphia police detectives and the FBI, with the help of victims in Philadelphia, identified Bennett and a gray Dodge Charger registered to him.
All but one of Bennett’s victims were employees at various gentlemen's clubs throughout Philadelphia.
The first incident occurred on May 15 at 2:45 a.m. A bartender left Sin City, a club on the 6100 block of Passyunk Avenue, and was followed by a man driving a silver Dodge Charger all the way to her home in Media, Pennsylvania. Police said the bartender’s boyfriend was home at the time and the driver fled the scene.
A witness from the club said the Charger had no visible tag.
On May 16 around midnight, a woman left Delilah's, a gentlemen’s club on the 100 block of Spring Garden and drove to her home in West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania. At some point she noticed a grey Dodge Charger that was following her. She tried to evade the vehicle by making several turns and eventually went to a Wawa store in order to get the Charger’s vehicle tag. She noticed the tag was covered however. The woman then called 911 and filed a report with West Norriton Police.
Hours later, at 5 a.m., a woman was sitting inside her vehicle on the 3400 block of North 11th Street when she noticed a man exit a vehicle that was parked several cars ahead of her. The man approached her, pointed a silver handgun at her and demanded she exit the car. He then moved her to an alley and raped her, police said. Police also said he was driving a grey Dodge Charger with tinted windows and no tag.
On May 17 at 9:30 p.m., a woman left her job at Oasis Club on 6700 Essington Avenue and drove to her home on the 1500 block of Hamilton Street. When she entered her apartment parking garage she noticed a grey Dodge Charger that piggybacked the security gate opening and followed her vehicle.
The woman then continued driving to the third level as the Charger parked three cars from her. The driver then got out and started walking around before the woman exited the garage and called 911. The suspect in that incident matched the description of the sex assault suspect and was also in a grey Dodge Charger with no tag.
On Tuesday, a woman left a gentlemen’s club on 2700 Front Street and returned to her apartment on the 900 block of North 8th Street at midnight when she noticed a man in her apartment complex. The man slid along the wall towards the woman who then ran away to a neighbor’s apartment while screaming. The man then fled the scene. Once again, the man was driving a Grey Dodge Charger with no tag.
Several hours later at 10:20 a.m., two women were inside their apartment on the 900 block of North 8th Street when a man posing as an electrical worker gained access into their home. The man then pulled out a handgun, sexually assaulted and robbed both women, police said. He then fled southbound on 8th Street toward Poplar Street.
Both victims were employees at Cheerleaders Philadelphia, a gentlemen's club.
Later that day, shortly before 4 p.m., police responded to the Crowne Plaza Hotel on 260 Mall Boulevard in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. They were met by a woman in the hotel lobby who was suffering from a head wound.
The woman told police she had been working out in the hotel fitness room when she was approached by a man who pulled out a gun and demanded that she leave with him.
The woman refused and started to run for the door when the man struck her in the head with the gun. The woman was eventually able to escape and ran to the lobby for help. The man was last seen running out of the lobby doors of the hotel.
Police identified Bennett as the suspect in all of the incidents.
On Saturday around 1:50 p.m., Bennett was arrested in Indianapolis, Indiana. He's currently in the custody of Marion County Sheriffs. Krasner said it is not yet determined whether Bennett would face charges elsewhere before being taken to Philadelphia for the rape and robbery charges here.
