Court records: Man confesses to raping 14-year-old girl he didn’t know

CHARLOTTE — A man is accused of targeting a 14-year-old in southwest Charlotte and raping her. Court records say the suspect confessed to the crime.

Police said the suspect was 36 years older than the teen and didn’t even know her. They said he approached her last Thursday night near Nations Ford Road and grabbed her.

It happened along Red Roof Drive somewhere along a fence line between a gas station and a motel, police said. Sources told Channel 9′s Hunter Sáenz that after talking with the vulnerable teen, police were able to move quickly to arrest the suspect, 51-year-old Kanvanough Warren.

Warren has been charged with statutory rape.

According to court records, Warren told investigators he approached the victim as she slept near the fence line. The 14-year-old told police Warren walked up “...asking her to smoke crack...she told him no...” That’s when she said Warren “...grabbed her arm and forced her to have intercourse near the fence line.”

Leanna Pai is with Safe Alliance, a center offering hope and healing to sex assault survivors and others.

“It’s always heartbreaking,” she told Sáenz.

She said a case like this, in which police said the alleged suspect did not know the victim, is rare.

“Particularly for teens and for minors, 90% of sexual assaults are carried out by someone that they know,” Pai said. “So truly the statistics show us this is a rare case.”

Records show it’s not Warren’s first run-in with the law. He’s been arrested before for robbery, larceny, and breaking and entering. Some of the charges have since been dismissed.

Pai just hopes the 14-year-old girl gets the help and resources she needs and knows that people are there to help.

“It’s our job to support and provide options, not to ask questions or investigate,” Pai said.

On Tuesday, Warren was given a $24,000 secured bond.

The Safe Alliance Greater Charlotte Hope Line not only offers help to survivors, but parents can call to learn how to talk to kids about this difficult topic. The number is 980-771-HOPE. It’s available 24/7 in both English and Spanish.

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