Suspect arrested at Eustis dollar store in local rape case, police say

A 53-year-old man was arrested in Eustis after police identified him as a suspect in a reported sexual battery, according to a Eustis Police Department report.

An officer said he spotted the man — identified as Alexander B. Johnson — riding a bicycle west on East Orange Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, the report says.

Police had circulated a bulletin identifying Johnson as wanted in connection with the case. Officers detained him at a Family Dollar store on East Orange Avenue and took him to the police department for questioning.

Victim reported assault to police

The investigation began on Tuesday, when officers met with a woman who said her homeless daughter had been raped the previous night.

According to the report, the victim told police she had been sleeping near Eustis Lake Walk when a man approached and asked her to go somewhere else with him to sleep.

She described being taken to a church in Eustis, where she said the incident occurred. The report says she later identified a church that she believed matched the location .

Police said the woman remained at the location with the man overnight and went to the Open Door on East Citrus Avenue the next morning. An officer took her to the police department so detectives could interview her about what happened.

A detective said Johnson was ultimately pinned as the suspect, and he was taken into custody on Wednesday. He now faces six counts of sexual battery and is held on bond of $90,000.