Deputies: DNA ties Port Charlotte man to attempted kidnapping

A Port Charlotte man who was already in jail was tied to an attempted kidnapping that happened nearly a year ago thanks to leaving his DNA with the victim, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Victor Brown Jr., 24, was jailed Oct. 15 for loitering and prowling and resisting an officer without violence after a foot chase in the area of Starlite Lane in Port Charlotte.

That same day, DNA results came back from a Nov. 7, 2019, incident in which deputies say Brown tried to kidnap a woman near the intersection of Felda Street and Ollie’s Pond Park, which is near Brown’s home, according to CCSO.

A woman was taking a morning run when an unknown man slapped her on the buttocks. When the victim turned around, she saw a man wearing a black ski mask made of wool. She described him as being about 5’10”, slender/muscular, and around early- to mid- 20s.

The sheriff’s office said the suspect grabbed her by the hands, picked her up, dragged her into the woods, and slammed her onto the ground where he stood over her. The victim attempted to fight back but was unsuccessful with physical force. Fearfully, the victim attempted to talk the suspect down by asking questions and speaking spiritually. The suspect ultimately held her hand and told her to “go home.”

The victim suffered minor injuries prior to getting away from the attacker. Once the victim returned home, CCSO was contacted. The neighborhood searched for a suspect matching the description with no success. Deputies gathered evidence that included the victim’s clothing, which would ultimately lead to Brown’s arrest.

On the bottom of her running shirt was believed to be the blood of the suspect. The blood was collected and sent off to be analyzed. On Oct. 15, the same day Brown was arrested on unrelated charges, detectives received word from FDLE that they had a CODIS hit which came back to Brown. Detectives discovered Brown lived about 1,500 feet from where the incident took place.

“Without the DNA evidence, I can’t believe that we would actually have an excess full closure on this case,” said Claudette Bennett, public information officer for CCSO.

Joyce Roth of Deep Creek refuses to walk around Ollie’s Pond Park without a friend and remains cautious along the quiet path.

“I have a can of pepper spray on us,” she said.

“I remember that incident and I thought no way am I going to take that risk.”

Despite the arrest, Roth said she plans to keep her guard up and hopes others don’t back down.

“I hope the law does the right thing and puts him where he needs to be.”

The sheriff’s office said Brown was on felony probation at the time of the crime, and he is now facing charges of kidnapping and violation of probation. He was still in the Charlotte County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon.