Copyright Hartford Courant
A man faces charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in a basement in Bridgeport after meeting her through an online app, police said. Therdy Joseph, 24, was arrested Sunday on charges of first-degree sexual assault, second-degree strangulation, first-degree unlawful restraint, interfering with an emergency call and third-degree assault, according to Det. Jeffrey Holtz of the Bridgeport Police Department. Holtz said police dispatchers received a 911 call from the woman after she was able to escape from Joseph’s North End home where she alleges he sexually assaulted her in his basement bedroom on Saturday night. The woman and Joseph had met through an online app before agreeing she would travel to Bridgeport for them to meet, Holtz said. A dispatcher was able to use the woman’s cell phone location to determine where she was, which was found to be a parking lot where she drove after the alleged assault, according to Holtz. An officer and medics responded to the lot to tend to the woman, who was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital for treatment. According to Holtz, detectives “rapidly secured a crime scene” and worked into the late night and early morning hours to obtain a warrant for Joseph’s arrest. He was taken into custody on Sunday around noon by members of the department’s Special Victims Unit. Joseph was held without bond pending an arraignment hearing on Monday, Holtz said. “The Bridgeport Police Department emphasizes that citizens exercise caution and prioritize safety when communicating with persons through the Internet,” Holtz said in a statement, adding that Joseph’s arrest marked the third notable sexual assault Bridgeport police have investigated over the past several weeks. On Oct. 14, police arrested 28-year-old Cordero Javier Greaves of Bridgeport on charges of first-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor, illegal sexual contact with a person under 16 years of age, first-degree unlawful restraint and second-degree threatening. He has been accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl who was on her way to school, according to police. On Nov. 5, 44-year-old Patrick Curry of Bridgeport was arrested during a warrant sweep and charged with first-degree sexual assault, sexual contact with someone under 16 and risk of injury to a minor. Police allege he sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy who is a family member. “The fast deployment of patrol, detective bureau and emergency operations resources in such cases is part of the effort under Chief Roderick Porter, Sr., to combat sexual and domestic violence in the city and bring perpetrators to justice quickly,” Holtz said.
