Registered sex offender charged in 2011 rape near Winthrop

Police have made an arrest in a rape and kidnapping case that happened almost four years ago near Winthrop University.

Authorities have charged Merrilled Christopher Stewart, 27, of Charlotte with first degree criminal sexual conduct, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and kidnapping, according to police records.

Law enforcement records show Stewart is accused of kidnapping a 20-year-old Winthrop student from her apartment building on Dec. 14, 2011, around 2 a.m. The apartments are located next to Winthrop’s campus but are privately operated.

A 2011 Rock Hill police report states the woman reported that an unknown man put a kitchen knife to her side and forced her into her car. She told police then that the suspect made her drive to another apartment complex nearby and ordered her to get undressed.

Then, police said the attacker raped the woman for nearly 20 minutes and ran away.

After the woman reported the incident to Safe Passage – a Rock Hill nonprofit that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault – officials released a police sketch of the unknown assailant but did not identify possible suspects. It’s unclear how detectives earlier this month identified Stewart as the alleged suspect.

Local police agencies reopened the rape case last fall after a sexual assault of a student on campus on Nov. 1, 2014. In the recent incident, Winthrop Campus Police officers made an arrest within minutes. Later, police officials said there were some similarities in the two cases but did not give details about the ongoing investigation.

The man accused in the 2014 case is John Tyrone Roddey Jr., 24, of Catawba, according to police records. He’s charged with criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping. York County Sheriff’s Office records show Roddey has been in jail since Nov. 1, being held without bond.

Rock Hill jail officials said Wednesday that Stewart’s bond has been denied. Charlotte jail records show he was arrested last week on a fugitive warrant and was released on Tuesday.

Stewart is a registered sex offender in North Carolina, according to law enforcement records. His criminal record shows he was convicted in 2010 on a felony charge of indecent liberty with a minor, age 14, in Mecklenburg County. In 2011, he was arrested for failure to register as a sex offender but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

State Law Enforcement Division records show Stewart has been arrested on several charges in Chester County. He was convicted in 2012 for assaulting a police officer – a felony charge – and misdemeanor charges of operating an unsafe vehicle and giving false information to police, according to SLED records.

This story was originally published July 29, 2015 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Registered sex offender charged in 2011 rape near Winthrop."