Crime

Bradenton man targeted a homeless woman and raped her at gunpoint, cops say

A 32-year-old man has been charged with raping a woman at gunpoint in August, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say Andrew Woodward raped a woman in a tent at a homeless camp early of the morning of Aug. 6. DNA evidence links Woodward with the crime, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies say Woodard warned the victim that if she screamed, he would kill her.

Someone at the camp heard the commotion and when the witness went to check on the woman, Woodard ran off, according to the warrant.

Woodard was arrested in the early Tuesday morning in the 4500 block of 14th Street West and booked into the Manatee County jail on a sexual battery with a deadly weapon charge. He remains in custody on a $25,000 bond.

The location of the crime was redacted from the report.

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Mark Young
Bradenton Herald
Breaking News/Real Time Reporter Mark Young began his career in 1996 and has been with the Bradenton Herald since 2014. He has won more than a dozen awards over the years, including the coveted Lucy Morgan Award for In-Depth Reporting from the Florida Press Club and for beat reporting from the Society for Professional Journalists to name a few. His reporting experience is as diverse as the communities he covers. Support my work with a digital subscription
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