Police arrest Muncie man accused of raping, assaulting woman

ANDERSON, Ind. — Police have arrested a Muncie man accused of assaulting and raping a woman inside her Anderson apartment.

According to court documents, Ja Merious Marquel Allen is facing the following preliminary charges:

• Rape (Level 3 Felony)
• Strangulation (Level 6 Felony)
• Intimidation (Level 6 Felony)
• Domestic Battery (Level 6 Felony)
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• Interference with reporting of a crime (Class A Misdemeanor)

An investigation into Allen began on Oct. 9 when officers with the Anderson Police Department responded around 2:45 a.m. to an apartment in the 800 block of W. 53 Street in response to a reported domestic disturbance.

Officers arrived and made contact with a woman who they observed had sustained “serious” injuries. The woman was transported to St. Vincent Hospital, where they took her statement on what allegedly happened.

The woman reportedly told police that she and Allen began arguing a few days earlier after he accused her of cheating on him. She said she went to her apartment that morning, where she said Allen hit her multiple times with a wand used to control window blinds over the course of that day.

The woman said Allen had prevented her from leaving the apartment before allegedly punching her in the face with a closed fist. Allen also allegedly used a metal towel rack during the assault.

She added that a bed inside the apartment broke during the incident. The woman went on to state that the incident escalated when Allen allegedly threatened to kill her within the next four days. During the assault, Allen also allegedly forced the woman to perform sex acts before raping her. Court documents reveal that Allen allegedly recorded the non-consensual sex acts. The woman also disclosed that Allen allegedly ripped a purple shirt off her during the assault.

An officer noted in the affidavit that bruises were visible all over the woman’s body in addition to swelling on her face. Police then executed a search warrant at the apartment where they located a ripped purple shirt inside a trash can and a broken bed, just as the woman had described.

The woman said the alleged abuse continued until around 1 a.m., when Allen reportedly fell asleep. She said she took that opportunity to leave the apartment and run to a nearby apartment seeking help.

Officers spoke with the occupants, who shared that the woman had knocked on their door. After they let her in, they said she immediately began to throw up. They thought she was possibly experiencing an allergic reaction based on her swollen face, court documents said.

When officers confronted Allen, court documents show that he claimed the woman caused the fight and was the aggressor, saying she was upset because he was not “with her.” He was placed under arrest and transported to the Madison County Jail.

Online court records indicate Allen appeared in Madison Circuit Court 4 on Wednesday for an initial hearing in the case.