FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: |
February 17, 2008 |
Marc Howard, Public Information Officer
USMS Tampa, FL (813) 274-6401 |
|
|
|
Rapist Arrested in Tampa |
|
Tampa, FL - Maryland State Police were
searching for Jacob Corey Gordon, 28, who they say brutally raped a woman
seven years ago. After the airing of America’s Most Wanted (AMW) on
Saturday, the U.S. Marshals Tampa Bay Area Fugitive Task Force (TBAFTF)
received notification from AMW that Gordon was in the Tampa Bay Area.
The Maryland State Police say Gordon and Thomas Heddinger offered to take
the young woman home after she became ill. Instead, authorities say, Gordon
and Heddinger drove her to a wooded, remote location and sexually assaulted
her for nearly three hours before dumping her in a field. The girl --
bruised, beaten and dazed from the attack -- was still able to describe her
attackers and the van in which she was held. Heddinger was the other rapist,
and he took his own life on Feb. 9, 2008, while awaiting trial on the rape
charges.
On February 16, 2008, TBAFTF received two tips from AMW, and they
coordinated with the Tampa Police Department in efforts to arrest Gordon.
The two tips lead authorities to a location on Two Lakes Road. On February
17, 2008 around 2:00AM, Gordon was located and arrested by Deputy U.S.
Marshals and Tampa Police.
The U.S. Marshals Tampa Bay Area Fugitive Task Force is made up of Federal,
State and Local law enforcement officers. The members of the Task Force
combine resources and efforts daily to track down violent fugitives of
Justice in the Tampa Bay Area and Nation Wide through networking with Task
Forces across the country.
For more information go to
www.usmarshals.gov.
|
|