Prosecutors: Man Rapes Woman After Sneaking Into Her Cleveland Heights Apartment

A grand jury indicted a Cleveland Heights man Thursday afternoon on charges of rape. 

Winston Scott, 26, of 932 Whitby Road was arrested on Feb. 19 and charged with raping a 24-year-old woman while she was moving into a building on Hampshire Road in Cleveland Heights, said Ryan Miday, spokesperson for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason’s Office.

The woman propped her door open while she was bringing her belongings into her apartment, Miday said. She saw Scott hanging out by the building, but figured he was a resident.

As she was working, Scott slipped into the apartment and hid in a bedroom, Miday said. When she was finished, he ran out, threatened her with a knife and sexually assaulted her. He then stole her cell phone and ID badge.

Neighbors heard her scream and knocked on her door. When no one answered, they called Cleveland Heights Police.

When they arrived, Scott ran out the back door, but police obtained a description and arrested him within minutes. A knife, the woman's ID and cell phone were found nearby, Miday said. He is being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

He was indicted on charges of rape, kidnapping, aggravated burglary, felonious assault and aggravated robbery, Miday said. His arraignment will be March 1 at 8:30 a.m. in the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.