WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita Police have been able to connect a man arrested in connection to a rape to another assault from last month.
The department says it began around 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the 500 block of W. Skinner. A woman was walking home when a man in a red Toyota Carolla approached her, offering money for her to perform sex acts.
Police say she ignored him and kept walking, but the man eventually struck her with his vehicle, dragged her inside, and drove her to a nearby alley, where he assaulted her. He then allegedly photographed her driver’s license and threatened to kill her if she reported the crime.
The woman noted the man’s license plate and called 911, providing detailed information to police. Using FLOCK cameras, police identified the suspect’s vehicle.
The department says that working with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, they identified the car as belonging to someone, later identified as a relative of the suspect, who lived in a community just outside of Wichita.
Evidence was recovered that allowed police to obtain an arrest warrant for Christopher Calisay. He was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on Nov. 20 on charges of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of rape, sodomy, two counts of aggravated battery, and criminal threat.
On Tuesday, during a meeting discussing the case involving investigators, representatives from the Wichita Area Sexual Assault Center, officers from the Broadway Corridor Team, and officers from all four patrol bureaus, a member of the corridor team recalled a similar case from October. Investigators spoke to the survivor in the October case, and after reviewing surveillance footage from that day, it was determined the same Toyota Carolla was also used in that assault.
“This was a heinous and disgusting act of violence that has no place in our community. I am proud of the exceptional work of our patrol officers, detectives, and all personnel involved in this case. Their commitment to justice and the use of innovative technology led to the resolution of this crime and sent a strong message that such acts are unacceptable and will not go unpunished,” says Chief of Police Joe Sullivan in a news release from the department. “The survivor demonstrated remarkable courage and strength in the face of this despicable act, and it was her bravery that helped us apprehend this individual and remove him from the streets.”
Calisay appeared on Tuesday in Sedgwick County District Court, where he was formally charged for the Nov. 19 assault. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 9 at 1:30 p.m. His bound is set at $500,000.
Police say they are presenting this second case to the district attorney’s office, seeking charges of aggravated battery, aggravated sodomy, simple battery, criminal threat, kidnapping, and rape. The department is also conducting DNA testing and looking for additional evidence that may connect to other unsolved assaults.
The department encourages anyone who has been the victim of sexual assault or knows someone who has to come forward. Resources are available to support survivors.
Investigators can be contacted at 316-268-4407.