THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 5, 1994 TAG: 9408050561
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
A 33-year-old naked man who tried Wednesday night to burglarize two homes and rape the female residents was caught after a citizen noted the license number of the man's van, police said Thursday.
Both times the naked suspect entered the unlocked rear doors of the women's residences in the Thalia area, police spokesman Lou Thurston said.
The first attempted burglary occurred just before 10 p.m. in the Thalia Garden Apartments.
Police said Steven C. Adams of the 3000 block of Hampden Lane told the apartment resident he had a gun and then tried to sexually assault her. She resisted, and he fled.
Minutes later, police said, a still-naked Adams went into a Thalia Wayside area home, but ran after the female resident screamed.
A citizen saw the suspect dash into a van and speed away, Thurston said.
The citizen gave police the license number, and officers stopped the van a short time later near Canterbury Road and Edinburgh Drive. The suspect was dressed when he was stopped, police said.
``The suspect wouldn't have been caught as quickly if the citizen hadn't been so alert and hadn't gotten involved,'' Thurston said. ``But because the citizen did get involved, it directly led to the quick apprehension of the suspect.''
Detective Frank D. Wins charged Adams with two counts of burglary with the intent to rape, one count each of abduction with the intent to defile and use of a firearm in a felony. Adams is being held without bond in the city jail. Police asked anyone with information about Adams to call Wins at 427-4101. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Adams
KEYWORDS: ROBBERY RAPE SEX CRIME ARREST by CNB