Man wanted for rape captured in county

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 23, 2006

A man wanted in three states for charges that include the rape and robbery of a pregnant Tennessee woman was arrested in Shelby County last Wednesday, following a two-hour foot pursuit involving local and state authorities.

Charles Ray Bailey, 39, is being held in the Shelby County Sheriff&8217;s jail after being captured by officers with the U.S. Marshal&8217;s Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force; Birmingham, Vincent and Hoover police officers; and Shelby and Jefferson County sheriff&8217;s deputies.

Bailey, who was captured in Inverness along Highway 280, is wanted in Tennessee for the Aug. 11 rape and robbery. Officials said Bailey allegedly posed as a homebuyer and went to the woman&8217;s home on multiple occasions. On one of those occasions, he allegedly raped her and stole her purse, cell phone and car.

Bailey was discovered in Shelby County after it was confirmed that he was driving the vehicle that he had stolen from the woman. Officers found the woman&8217;s purse with wallet and ID in addition to a number of fliers for local realtors.

Officials confirmed Monday that Bailey had attempted to rob a woman at a nearby hotel in Birmingham. The woman&8217;s screams for help scared Bailey away, however.

Bailey was also wanted for allegedly stealing a man&8217;s credit card from his home in the Cahaba Lakes Apartment complex. The man said he came home and found Bailey underneath his bed. Bailey escaped and later tried to use the man&8217;s credit card at a nearby restaurant