ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A man has been charged with second-degree forcible rape following an investigation into a reported sexual assault earlier this month, police said.
Detectives with the Asheville Police Department identified Louie Willard Perry Jr., 62, as a suspect in the April 11 incident. Officers responded to the area of Bartlett Street around 7 a.m. on April 12 after receiving a report of a sexual assault.
Investigators said they developed Perry as a suspect using surveillance video and automatic license plate reader data.
Perry was taken into custody April 17 by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted in recovering evidence and making the arrest.
He was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility, where a magistrate ordered him held without bond.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the Asheville Police Department at 828-252-1110. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the TIP2APD mobile app or by texting TIP2APD to 847411.
Police said they are working with the Buncombe County Family Justice Center to provide support services to survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Anyone with information related to similar incidents is encouraged to contact the center at 828-250-6900.