THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412090633
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Police were questioning a man Thursday night who walked into a pizza shop with blood on him just moments before an employee of the restaurant found a naked, badly beaten woman behind the shop.
Police said they expected to file charges against the 30-year-old man, but they did not release his name.
The unconscious woman was taken to the Trauma Center at Virginia Beach General Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition.
Her identity was uncertain. Police said they believe she is a 35-year-old city resident, but they could not confirm that late Thursday because they had not been able to locate any of her relatives.
At 3:27 p.m., rescue crews and police were called to the rear of the Princess Anne Plaza Shopping Center in the 3300 block of Virginia Beach Blvd., said police spokesman Lou Thurston.
The woman was found in an area behind the shopping center where several truck trailers were parked. Thurston said the woman had been severely beaten, although it was unclear what weapon was used.
``We're still investigating the possibility of sexual assault,'' he said.
Officers also found the suspect standing nearby with blood on him. He was immediately taken into custody for questioning.
Employees of the pizza shop, one of several businesses in the shopping center, said the man had walked into the restaurant just minutes before the woman was found. It was unclear what, if anything, the man said.
He then left the business and went back to the rear of the shopping center where the woman was, the employees said.
KEYWORDS: ASSAULT by CNB