Man arrested in connection to South End rape has served time for similar incident, police say
Police have arrested a man who they believe raped a woman in a South End playground early Tuesday morning.
Eduardo Rodriguez, 31, will face charges of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, indecent assault and battery, intimidation of a witness, and armed robbery, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Rodriguez was arrested around 3:30 p.m. in the area of Melnea Cass Boulevard, Evans said.
“He was a dangerous individual who obviously committed an atrocious act on a young female in the city,” he said.
The alleged assault occurred around 1 a.m. near Greenwich Park and Claremont Street. Rodriguez, who was riding a bicycle, approached the victim and led her to Carter Playground, threatening her with a knife, police said.
Rodriguez was convicted in a sexual assault trial in 2008, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. He was sentenced to eight to 10 years followed by five years probation, authorities said.
Rodriguez was let out in December, and police believe he cut off his GPS monitoring device after committing the rape.
Police were able to locate Rodriguez after following the signal of his GPS device and later received a positive identification from the victim. While he wasn’t wearing the device, it was still in the area, leading police closer to Rodriguez, Evans said.
“We just want to thank her very much for having the courage to step forward and work with us to get this individual off the street,” Evans said. “Our hearts go out to the victim. That shouldn’t happen in this city.”
Rodriguez will be arraigned Wednesday in Roxbury Municipal Court, authorities said.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that police believe Rodriguez had cut off his GPS monitoring device prior to committing the rape.
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