Wednesday, July 25, 2012

An 18-year-old black man who was captured on a surveillance camera raping a woman has appeared in court after he was identified through DNA evidence

Dante Picott appeared in court via video for the first time for a bail review hearing before Judge Gerald Council as his family members watched silently from the courtroom. He has been charged with robbery, kidnapping, four counts of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of sexual assault. Surveillance video outside an apartment building on the 300 block of Bellevue Avenue in Trenton captured a woman being abducted, beaten and raped. The woman, who was not identified, told police that she was getting home at approximately 1:30 a.m. when a man came up behind her and demanded money. When she refused him, he began to argue with her and then he put his arm around her and dragged her to the side of the building. The man beat her until she was unconscious, pulled down his pants and her pants and raped her several times, officials said. The woman was taken to Capitol Health Regional Medical Center where DNA evidence was taken. Following an investigation by the Trenton Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor's child abuse/sexual assault unit, the DNA was a match for Picott, officials said. Picott is being held at the Mercer County Correctional Facility on $400,000 bail. Picott was arrested three times as a juvenile and convicted on burglary charges as a juvenile in 2006. He has another pending juvenile case in Burlington County.

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