Florida man who allegedly tried to rape woman in hotel was released weeks ago on carjacking charge: docs

A Florida man with a lengthy criminal record is accused of forcing his way into a woman's hotel room where he allegedly tried to sexually assault her. It comes weeks after he was arrested under suspicion of carjacking someone with a knife and later released because no formal charges were filed against him, online records show.

The case has prompted questions about why he was released in the first place and has again put the State Attorney's Office at odds with law enforcement.

What happened: the alleged carjacking

On May 4, Fredrick Batese Howard, 54, was arrested and booked into jail under suspicion of carjacking a man with a deadly weapon, according to online records and the arrest affidavit.

Orlando police responded to a reported carjacking on May 4 near W. Amelia Street and North Westmoreland Drive.

The victim told police that he was in a vehicle with a woman and a man, named "Fast," and later identified as Howard, when he and Howard got into an argument and fight. The man told police that Howard held a six- to eight-inch pocket knife to his neck and told him to get out of the vehicle and that they were taking it.

Officers found the vehicle nearby with a woman and Howard inside. Howard told deputies that the victim was mad because they wouldn't stop to get beer or a cigarette. He said the victim gave him the knife for protection.

He was held on no bond, but later released on June 6 because the State Attorney's office never filed formal charges against him by the required 33-day deadline, according to court records.

What happened: the alleged sexual battery

On June 12, Howard was arrested and booked into jail on charges of attempted sexual battery, burglary, false imprisonment, and battery, according to the Orange County arrest affidavit.

A woman told deputies that Howard knocked on her door, forced his way in, and pushed her onto the bed and covered her mouth with his hands, while touching his pants, possibly trying to take off his belt, she said, according to the affidavit.

She told the deputy that her boyfriend left earlier in the day to go to work and that she thought the knock at the door was him returning from work, the report said.

When she opened the door, she saw Howard, who reportedly said "oh yeah," before allegedly forcing himself inside. She screamed and Howard ran out of the room, the report said. The report said surveillance video showed Howard entering the woman's hotel room and later running out of it.

Deputies found Howard and arrested him. He was "caught in a lie several times throughout the interview," the report said. However, it did not specify what he told deputies. A section of the report was redacted.

Convictions dating back to 1986

According to the Florida Department of Corrections website, Howard has served time in state prison since 1986 on various charges, including aggravated assault, battery against a first responder, resisting an officer without violence, and drug possession.

He was most recently released in October 2019 after serving 15 years for robbery with a deadly weapon, records show.

Why didn't the state file charges in the carjacking case?

State Attorney Monique Worrell held a press conference Thursday where she said there are different standards required to meet law enforcement's probable cause to arrest someone and the State Attorney's Office's burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt to win a conviction in court.

Worrell said her office was unable to locate the victim in the alleged carjacking case in time to move forward with the charges allegedly that there was no contact information from law enforcement in the submitted case.

"The State Attorney’s Office worked diligently to make contact with the alleged victim over the thirty-three days following his arrest. Because we were unable to locate the victim, we were unable to move forward with the charges against Mr. Howard in time to contest his Motion for Release on his own Recognizance in good faith," her office said in a statement.

In response, the Orlando Police Department, the agency who responded to the initial carjacking call, said it provided all the known information about the victim and the suspect, who were both reportedly homeless, to them.

"It is disappointing that yet again, the investigative efforts of our agency are being unjustly scrutinized by the State Attorney," Orlando police said in a statement.