Police: Man arrested in attempted rape at Branbury Apartments
Provo police Capt. Cliff Argyle Provo police Capt. Cliff Argyle speaks with media on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 about the attempted rape at the Branbury Apartments in Provo. The photo was taken at the Provo Police Department. ASHLEY FRANSCELL/Daily Herald
PROVO — Police arrested a man on Saturday for allegedly trying to rape a woman at the Branbury Apartment complex in Provo.
Geoffrey Mapother, 19, was taken into custody after the woman identified him in a photo lineup. Mapother was described by Provo police Capt. Cliff Argyle as a transient with a previous criminal record.
Mapother attacked a woman around 3 a.m. as she was coming home from visiting friends, police say. The woman lives in an apartment built slightly below ground level, Argyle explained, and after descending the stairs to her front door she heard a noise behind her.
“She was down in an area that was not very visible,” Argyle said.
The woman turned around, Argyle reported, and saw a man wearing nothing but a hat. The man allegedly charged the woman, knocked her down, and began pulling at her shirt and pants. The woman told police she believed he was trying to remove her clothing.
Argyle said the woman immediately began screaming and kicking at her assailant. Her roommates heard the scuffle and opened the door to investigate, at which point the man ran away, Argyle reported. Argyle said the woman was not treated for injuries, but was frightened by the encounter.
“At the time she was very shaken up,” Argyle said.
The woman and her roommates reported the incident to police and provided authorities with a description of the suspect. That description matched the profile of Mapother, Argyle said, who authorities knew was a transient in the area. Argyle said officers located Mapother in the vicinity of the Provo Library on Saturday afternoon and discovered that he had a distinctive hat among his possessions. Argyle did not see the hat, but said that it was described to him as floppy and short brimmed.
After being located by police, Mapother admitted to being in the area of the Branbury Apartments around the time of the attack. Police showed the woman the hat they had taken from Mapother, Argyle said, and she told them it was the one worn by her attacker. Mapother was eventually identified as the perpetrator of the attack by the woman and her roommates.
Mapother also was arrested in January on charges of burglarizing an apartment at the Branbury Apartment complex. He allegedly jumped onto a second floor balcony and climbed through a screen door, before being scared away by the apartment’s female tenants. Argyle said Mapother was charged with a third-degree felony for the incident, but added that he did not know why Mapother was not kept in custody. Argyle said Mapother is currently being held by police. Mapother also was found in the Branbury’s community complex after hours in January, police reported.
Argyle did not have extensive information about Mapother’s background. He said authorities believe Mapother is from out of state and mentioned that police had a phone number for him.
The area of the Branbury Apartment complex has gained attention recently for being the scene of other violent crimes, including the rape and near-killing of a Utah Valley University student in 2010. Prosecutors have charged Shawn Michael Leonard with the attack. That attack occurred near the Provo River as it passes the apartment complex. The victim was a resident of the Branbury Apartments at the time.
Argyle said that there is no single characteristic that makes the Branbury susceptible to violent crime, despite the fact that it has been the scene of multiple attacks.
“This type of crime can occur anywhere,” Argyle said.
He commended the woman in the latest case for making enough noise during the incident to attract the attention of her roommates.
