MONROE, Ga. — A suspected sexual predator accused of attacking women who were jogging in a Walton County park is off the streets and in police custody.
The Monroe Police Department teamed up with the Walton County District Attorney's Office after investigating three different attacks over the last 48 hours.
Good Samaritans put a stop to one of the reported assaults at Felker Park in the city of Monroe on Sunday evening, after hearing a woman screaming for help, police said.
“The victim was allegedly forced to the ground and physically assaulted,” police said in a news release. “The attacker was scared away by witnesses coming to the victim's aid after hearing her screams for help.”
The latest incident happened on Monday morning and hours later, an off-duty investigator with the District Attorney's Office spotted the suspect roaming around the park.
Moments before the man's arrest, Chief R.V. Watts, of the Monroe Police Department, invited Channel 2's Michael Seiden to ride along with him, giving Seiden exclusive access as the search for the suspect intensified.
Channel 2 Action News was the only station there when investigators arrested Deonte Branch.
The chief said two of the three victims went to the police department, where they identified the suspect as their attacker.
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Police said Branch, 37, lives in the area and is known to law enforcement officials.
Watts said he and his officers believe Branch had been hiding out in the park, possibly in wooded areas, waiting for the next opportunity to strike.
"My fear was we were not going to be able to make an arrest on this subject before he (was) actually able to follow through on an actual rape," Watts said.
Channel 2 Action News learned that, over the weekend, the suspect had a run-in with employees of an antique mall. Investigators said the employees called police because the suspect was messing with doors and other items inside the store.
Branch is expected to face multiple felony charges, including sexual battery and criminal intent to commit rape.
Cox Media Group
