Man Allegedly Broke Through Apartment Wall To Kidnap, Assault Teen Girl

A Georgia man is facing charges for allegedly breaking through a shared wall between two apartments to assault and drag away a teenage girl who was home alone with her younger relatives, authorities said.

The Gainesville Police Department said officers responded shortly before 10 p.m. on Aug. 5 to an apartment complex at 1030 Summit Street after 911 callers reported seeing a man dragging a girl by her hair and repeatedly hitting her as she screamed for help.

Officers arrived to find the “active assault” taking place and intervened, immediately taking the man, identified as 29-year-old Obed Reyes, into custody.

A photo shared by the police department shows a gaping hole in the closet wall where Reyes allegedly broke through from a neighboring apartment. Investigators say Reyes lives at the apartment complex, but that he and the victim were not known to each other.

The victim, a 15-year-old girl, was home alone with her 5- and 7-year-old relatives when the break-in occurred. Reyes allegedly punched her multiple times and dragged her by her hair. The victim “courageously fought” and escaped to the breezeway outside the apartment to scream for help, as Reyes allegedly followed and continued assaulting her, threatening to rape her, police said.

Reyes was charged with burglary, aggravated assault, attempted rape, kidnapping, and two counts of cruelty to children, and was being held in the Hall County Jail. According to jail records, a court date had not yet been scheduled as of Aug. 13.

“I commend the witnesses’ quick response of calling 911 to get our officers there in time to prevent further torment and trauma of the victim. See something, say something’ goes a long way in our community and we are grateful to have a community that looks out for each other,” Police Chief Jay Parrish said.

“Our officers did an excellent job removing a violent criminal off the streets, and that was just the beginning,” he added. “The victim has a long road of recovery ahead following such traumatic events and we hope our community can surround her with that support.”