Man arrested in rape of Cypress, TX teen during home break-in

[MuffyBee]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6897899.html
Man arrested in rape of teen during home break-in
By MIKE GLENN
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
March 4, 2010, 7:38PM


Michael Chenault, 23, is being held without bail at the Harris County Jail.

A man accused of raping a teenage girl inside her Cypress home last week apparently did little to alter his appearance as law enforcement officers tracked him down.

"He was wearing the same clothing that he wore during the sexual assault," said Alfredo Perez, of the Houston office of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Michael Chenault, 23, was arrested about 5 p.m. Wednesday after a Crime Stoppers tip pointed officers toward FM 1960 near Perry.

"We received information that he was on a bike. We concentrated our surveillance in that area," Perez said.

One of the undercover surveillance teams spotted Chenault on the bicycle and called in backup.

"We basically pulled up right beside him and took him into custody," Perez said. "He was taken totally by surprise."

Investigators said Chenault was wearing a hooded Texas A&M sweatshirt, blue jeans and a Texas A&M baseball cap when he broke into a home in the Longwood subdivision in Cypress on Saturday. He slipped into the 15-year-old girl's bedroom, pulled out a knife and sexually assaulted her, officials said.

Before fleeing the home, Chenault took several small items, including a credit card, officials said. A short time later, a person was spotted on a store security camera using the stolen card at a Wal-Mart in the 22600 block of Tomball Parkway, investigators said.

The girl gave investigators a detailed description of her attacker. Combined with the security camera image and the Crime Stoppers tip, it proved crucial in securing the arrest, Perez said.

"He had no idea that we were on to him," Perez said.

Since his arrest, Chenault has been cooperative with investigators, Perez said.

He was charged Thursday with burglary with intent to commit sexual assault and burglary of a habitation, Harris County sheriff's officials said.

Chenault has a criminal history going back to 2004 with convictions for unlawfully carrying a weapon and car burglary, among other charges. In May 2005, he was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty in a home break-in, Harris County criminal records show.

On Thursday, Chenault was being held without bail at the Harris County Jail.

[MuffyBee]

Link at Scared Monkeys:
http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=7285.msg1087371#msg1087371
Signs, Decals a Threat to Your Kids' Safety?

<snip>
HOUSTON - There are concerns a cheerleading yard sign may have led a predator to target a teenage girl in Cypress.
<snip>

[MuffyBee]

http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/suspect-in-custody-for-teen-sexual-assault
Suspect in Custody for Teen Sexual Assault
Thursday, March 4, 2010
    *

      ALEXANDER SUPGUL
      Web Producer

CYPRESS, Texas - In a joint effort between the Harris County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit, Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force and the Houston Police Department, deputies have taken a suspect into custody who is accused of breaking into a northwest Harris County home and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Michael Alexander Chenault, 23, was taken into custody on Wednesday after law enforcement officers found him riding a bicycle near the Willowbrook Mall area. He struggled with authorities at first but has since been cooperative with investigators.

Chenault is in custody without bond at the Harris County Jail and faces charges of burglary with intent to commit sexual assault and burglary of a habitation.

The suspect allegedly walked into the teen's room at 4 a.m. on Saturday and carried a large knife, according to a statement from Crime Stoppers of Houston.

Investigators say the suspect sexually assaulted the girl and stole several items from the home, including a credit card, which was used at a store in the 22000 block of Tomball Parkway.

Deputies found the suspect wearing the same clothes that the victim described him wearing when the attack took place.