Arrest warrants for a man charged Wednesday morning with sex counts involving a 1-year-old child allege the victim was both seriously injured and sexually assaulted during an abduction.
Ezell's mugshots from the registry.
Search warrants in the case of Alexander Ezell, 25, have been sealed, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this morning.
Sheriff Wes Tripp would only confirm this morning there was probable cause found through investigation to file the charges of attempted statutory rape and indecent liberties with a minor against the Roanoke Rapids man, who has been on the state sex offender registry since he was 13.
In the arrest warrant addressing the sex offenses filed in the case, Detective Matt Brown wrote there was probable cause to believe Ezell did allegedly attempt to carnally know and abuse the child and feloniously committed and attempted to commit a lewd and lascivious act upon the child.
Brown also found probable cause Ezell broke into the residence on Cloverleaf Drive outside Roanoke Rapids with the intent to commit kidnapping.
The probable cause, Brown wrote in the arrest warrant, shows Ezell allegedly removed the victim from one place to another “for the purpose of doing seriously bodily injury, terrorizing the victim and subjecting the victim for sexual servitude.”
Brown noted in the arrest warrant the victim was not released in a safe place and was “seriously injured and sexually assaulted.”
The arrest warrants do not detail the injuries sustained.
Brown’s warrants say Ezell also damaged a storm door and lock at the residence he reportedly broke into.
In an arrest warrant addressing the count of resisting a public officer, Detective Justin Matthews wrote Ezell resisted him and Deputy Austin Holland by running from deputies. When confronted he placed his hand behind his back and stated he had a 9mm in his hand.
Brown’s warrant says Ezell broke into and entered the residence around 12:10 a.m.
Sexual battery case
Meanwhile, court documents in Ezell’s sexual battery case which occurred when he was 13, show he was to be tried as an adult but took a plea.
The documents involving the case, which was settled in October of 2009, do not delve into the details of the charges he faced.
They do note he was originally charged with two counts of crimes against nature; three counts of first-degree sex offense and a count of indecent liberties. Those charges were dropped and he took a plea to sexual battery. He received a suspended sentence.
The documents say the original offenses took place between October 1 and November 30 of 2005 when Ezell was 13.
Tripp said the sheriff’s office had already checked on Ezell four times this year, the last being June 27. “We continuously check on the sex offenders in Halifax County. Some other agencies only check on their offenders once a quarter. We continuously post the sex offender registry on our Facebook page so citizens can know the offenders living in their area.”
Ezell has had no violations while on the registry. Any changes to his status on the registry since Wednesday’s charges “would have to happen after adjudication of these alleged cases,” Tripp said.