RIVIERA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A Florida man has been charged with beating and raping a neighbor in a gated community, threatening to kill her and locking her in her car trunk.
The victim was able to hide her cell phone from her attacker and use it when she was locked in the trunk, police said. Police found the car, freed the victim and arrested Marlin Leach, 35, the Palm Beach Post reported.
"Had she not had the presence of mind to use her cell phone, she could very easily not be alive today," said police spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown.
Police said Leach had a history of sex crimes dating back to when he was 18 -- when he was convicted of molesting a 10-year-old girl. But because his convictions predated community notification laws, neighbors were not notified when he went to live with relatives in the Thousand Oaks complex.
Leach was being held in the Palm Beach County Jail, facing charges of attempted murder, sexual battery and kidnapping.
