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Alleged rapist Bryon E. Johnston might still be on the loose if not for his love of Starbucks coffee. The 35-year-old allegedly abducted a woman from a bus stop back in November and raped her and then reportedly committed a similar act with a woman in February. As the woman who claims she was raped last month fled from the suspect's car and ran across a motel parking lot, a paper Starbucks cup fell out of his car. The information cops obtained from something most of us would consider trash helped lead to the man's arrest.
Johnston, who is a married father with three children, was reportedly wearing a name badge at the time of the assault. And his Starbucks cup featured a sticker on it with information about the coffee he had ordered and the time that it had been ordered at a Starbucks drive-through earlier that day. Cops were able to match surveillance video with the suspect, and of course, it didn't hurt that the victim also knew his name.
Both women from the February and November attacks positively identified Johnston in a photo lineup. The man has been convicted of rape, attempted rape, and two counts of kidnapping.
Further adding insult to injury: police confirmed that the SUV the suspect used to assault the victim was registered to his wife.
Unbelievable -- a dad with three kids who is married and frequents Starbucks for his cup of Joe. I don't know about you, but this man definitely doesn't fit the profile of a rapist that I had in mind. Obviously, this proves we shouldn't generalize when it comes to criminals and people who wouldn't think twice about hurting others.
I'm relieved cops have a suspect they feel is strongly connected to these two cases, but feel incredibly sorry for this man's wife and children if he is indeed found guilty of these atrocious crimes. With hope, the women who were victims of these assaults can begin to experience a sense of closure.
Are you at all surprised that a man who could be standing in line next to you at Starbucks would be accused of two rapes?
Image via Cherrysweetdeal/Flickr
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