A 17-year-old boy accused of raping a woman in a downtown Cleveland parking garage earlier this year has been indicted in adult court on more than a dozen criminal charges.
Michael Hutchins faces three counts of rape and two counts of kidnapping (all with sexually violent predator specifications) for the Valentine's Day sexual assault of a 51-year-old woman inside the Prospect Ave. garage in the Gateway District. Other charges include:
- Two counts of gross sexual imposition
- Two counts of robbery
- Five counts of theft
- One count of grand theft
- Two counts of burglary
- One count of escape
Officials say Hutchins' crime spree began on Oct. 9, 2018, when he allegedly escaped staff members attempting to transport him to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center. Later, on Nov. 4, he is accused of stealing a laptop from a 53-year-old woman on the Cleveland State University campus.
However, the manhunt for Hutchins began following a series of incident on Feb. 14 of this year. It apparently began when Hutchins stole a cell phone from a 35-year-old's woman's purse inside the 5th St. Arcade before throwing it on the ground and fleeing the scene. Two hours later, he allegedly stole car keys from a 24-year-old man inside a fitness center on Prospect Ave.
It was shortly afterward that Hutchins got into an elevator inside the parking garage with the 51-year-old woman. According to investigators, Hutchins attacked the victim as she left the elevator, and when she tried to get away he threatened to shoot her before eventually raping her. He then dragged her back into her own car as she attempted to escape and then tried to drive her car away before crashing into a wall. After stealing her cell phone, credit card, and money, he then threatened to kill her if she called police and then fled.
Hutchins was arrested five days later by the Cleveland Division of Police and had his case bound over from juvenile court on May 3. He is currently being held on a $1,350,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
"This juvenile has continuously ignored numerous rehabilitation opportunities. He is a danger to every person whose path he crosses and needs to be incarcerated for a long, long time," Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said in a statement. "I pray that these victims have the strength and support to continue to move forward after these horrific events."
WKYC's policy is to not name juvenile suspects unless they are tried as adults. This is why we have revealed Michael Hutchins' identity after previously declining to do so.
