AUBURN, Maine — Police in Auburn said they believe there was no connection between a 13-year-old girl and the man accused of abducting and assaulting her.
Razel M. Gavin, 24, of Auburn, was arrested early Tuesday morning after police said he kidnapped the girl from a parking lot, threatened her with a gun, and repeatedly assaulted her throughout the night.
Gavin was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail and held without bail, Auburn police Deputy Chief Timothy Cougle said in a news release issued Tuesday.
The Lewiston district court clerk told NEWS CENTER Maine Gavin made his initial court appearance on Wednesday.
"Auburn is a very safe city, always has been. However, we can't predict these random acts of violence that do happen," Auburn Police Chief Jason Moen said. "And from everything that we've seen, this was a random act. He saw her sitting [in] the parking lot by herself and approached her, abducted her, and there's nothing to indicate there was any plan to this. Like I said, it was a random act of violence."
Gavin has been charged with Class A kidnapping, aggravated assault, and gross sexual assault. Additional charges could be filed.
Police said they responded to a report shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday that the family of a 13-year-old girl received a call from a friend of the alleged victim, saying she had suddenly dropped off a phone call, apparently under duress, according to the Tuesday news release.
"Based on how the call ended, the friend was concerned enough to call the parents to let them know what happened. So the parents immediately went across the street, saw the damaged phone, and called us," Moen said.
The parents tracked the girl's cellphone to a parking lot. Using surveillance video, police saw a dark-colored Volvo station wagon with a male driver enter the parking lot and leave a short time later.
"We had really good surveillance video from the business, and we broadcast that description to our officers. The officers had a chance to see that video, and it was pure luck," Moen said.
Auburn police, assisted by several other law enforcement agencies, searched for the girl throughout the night until an Auburn police officer stopped the vehicle on Minot Avenue at about 2:30 a.m.
"[The officer] was able to conduct a traffic stop of that vehicle and found her in the vehicle. The male was taken immediately into custody," Moen added.
Police said the girl was in the vehicle and showed visible signs she had been assaulted. She was taken to a local hospital and then reunited with her family.
The teen told investigators Gavin threatened her with a gun, forced her to get into his car, and assaulted her repeatedly during the evening.
"In my 27 years, this is one of the only times I've heard of this type of crime. Usually, there's some kind of nexus between suspect and victim, but in this case, there's no nexus whatsoever," Moen said.