Former soldier charged with rape in connection with assaults at Fayetteville Memorial Cemetery

The two victims reported they were offered a ride from School Street and the Eastern Boulevard area. They reported they were driven to the Fayetteville Memorial Cemetery, where they were sexually assaulted.

Posted 7:26 p.m. Mar 11 — Updated 9:57 p.m. Mar 12

Gilbert Baez

, WRAL Fayetteville reporter

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — An arrest has been made after two people were reportedly sexually assaulted at a cemetery in Fayetteville.

According to investigators, victims reported they were sexually assaulted at the Fayetteville Memorial Cemetery on Gillespie St. on March 6 and March 10.

Daymond Mikel Watts was charged with first degree forcible rape.

Detectives with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office identified and arrested Daymond Mikel Watts, 38 and charged him with:

Two counts of First Degree Forcible Rape
First Degree Kidnapping
Second Degree Kidnapping
Assault by Pointing a Gun
Larceny from the Person
Possession of Stolen Goods

"The allegations are in one case he produced a gun and used that in order to carry out the assault," said Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West. "And in the other case, he did not. It was just by force and intimidation."

West said Watts has no prior record. He's the father of two children and was holding down a job as a driver for FedEx. But the seriousness of these crimes made him argue for a large bond.

Watts' bond was set at $1 million on Tuesday afternoon. Watts is a former soldier and and was stationed at Fort Liberty at one point.

"Particularly disturbing is that he would pick that secluded location to allegedly commit these crimes," West said. "That's a sacred and somber location for many folks and families and visit there. That made it particularly disturbing."

Cumberland County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mickey Locklear said the office hopes they can find additional evidence.

"If a person says, 'Hey, this crime occurred at 10 o’ clock at night,' if they're able to give us a vehicle description, you can go back through that footage and see there were only two vehicles that passed through," Locklear said.

Watts will appear in court again on April 2.

Deanne Gerdes is executive director at The Phoenix Center. The center provides services for sexual assault victims. Gerdes said now the tough part begins, helping the victims of this horrific crime that's forever changed their lives.

"You can't go back to who you were prior to the assault," said Gerdes. "Trauma has happened. Something terrible and ugly has happened. We want to help you get to the other side of it."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Investigation Unit Detective I. Fisk at 910-677-5495 or Crime Stoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

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