Man accused of raping teen at gunpoint during home break-in

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A 25-year-old man is facing nearly six decades after allegedly raping a teenager and holding others at gunpoint during a home break-in.

Tyler Garrett, 25, entered a home on Aug. 14, 2021, to find a 17-year-old asleep on the downstairs couch, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said.

Garrett held the teen at gunpoint as he raped her, the prosecutor said.

The accused then forced the teen upstairs and into the homeowner’s bedroom and woke them up.

Prosecutor Deters says Garrett then took the rape victim, the homeowner and another teenager downstairs, where he held them at gunpoint, forcing them to the ground.

Garrett demanded money, which the victims said they did not have, Deters explained Friday.

Garrett then forced the three victims into a car and made the homeowner drive to a different location, according to Deters.

“My heart breaks for these victims,” Deters said. “They will never get over the trauma of this event.”

When he left, Garrett took the teenage rape victim’s bedding with him, the prosecutor said.

DNA from the rape kit came back as a match for Garrett’s DNA, Deters said. Garrett previously served five years in jail for burglary and robbery convictions, according to Deters.

The 25-year-old was located in Alabama and extradited to Hamilton County.

Prosecutor Deters credited the Cincinnati Police Department with solving the crime.

“If not for the work of the Cincinnati Police Department, this piece of human garbage would continue to victimize people in our community,” Deters said. “Who knows what he had been doing before he was apprehended.”

Garrett was indicted on charges of rape, aggravated burglary and kidnapping, Deters announced.

He pleaded not guilty in court on Jan. 27 and his bond was set at $140,000.

If convicted, Garrett faces a maximum possible sentence of 58 years in prison, the prosecutor said.

He is scheduled to go back to court on Feb. 2.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2022 WXIX. All rights reserved.