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Detroit police praise sexual assault survivor for helping bring serial attack suspect to justice
Captain Kimberly Blackwell heads Detroit Police's Special Victim Unit and says because the survivor came forward, they were able to track down the serial suspect.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A serial sex offender, who was released from prison less than six months ago, struck again in Detroit and is back in custody thanks to the brave survivor who went straight to police.
Detroit police were searching for a man in late December after a woman was threatened with a gun and then sexually assaulted near Trumbull and Spruce Street.
Captain Kimberly Blackwell heads Detroit Police's Special Victim Unit and says because the survivor came forward, they were able to track down the serial suspect.
"She’s a hero. She’s a hero. And I want to tell her she’s a hero. And I want to tell her thank you for what she did, thank you for coming forward," Blackwell said."It’s a relief because we know for a fact individuals like that - they just don’t stop."
The suspect, 42-year-old Junell Mobley, was released from prison on parole last October and was supposed to be on a GPS tether. But at some point he cut that tether and was on the prowl.
Two months after his release, on the morning of Dec. 28, police said he targeted the woman on the west side.
Captain Blackwell said he held her at gunpoint, dragged her to a secluded area, and sexually assaulted. When he let her go, she went to police.
"When we are working these cases you develop a relationship, you develop a report with these victims and their families whether it’s a homicide, whether it’s a sexual assault a robbery," Blackwell said.
Detectives retraced her steps and released a surveillance photo of the man, which eventually led to Mobley's arrest. He's now held on a $1 million bond.
"We received calls right away we are very appreciative to the community," Blackwell said. "It feels absolutely wonderful when you’re able to tell victims and able to give them some reassurance that they’re safe, it’s over, this person has been apprehended."
Rape cases in 2021 were 18% higher than in 2020 but that number is slightly skewed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But that doesn't mean police aren't addressing it. Captain Blackwell said new programs are coming out this year to get into schools to give young people strategies needed to combat sexual violence and encourage victims to go to police.
"You are not alone there are others out there that are going through the same thing you are. And so, one person speaking up may cause another person to speak up," Blackwell said.