Rovan Spears, accused of serial prowling in the area of Sawmill and Hard roads, with two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of attempted rape.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A serial prowler was arrested Thursday in connection with multiple burglary and rape attempts in northwest Columbus, according to police and court records.
According to a Facebook post from the Columbus Division of Police, 33-year-old Rovan Spears was charged with two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of attempted rape after allegedly walking through several yards and looking for unlocked doors last week.
On Jan. 9, Columbus police officers responded to two separate burglary-in-progress calls in the Hard Road corridor between Sawmill and Smoky Row roads. Police said they received multiple other calls throughout the day about burglary attempts in nearby neighborhoods.
The suspect, later identified as Spears, was seen on several home security and doorbell cameras between midnight and 5:30 a.m., according to police.
According to Franklin Court Municipal Court documents, Spears entered a home through an unlocked patio door on Leamoor Drive around 12:50 a.m. He reportedly went upstairs into a bedroom and attempted to sexually assault a woman who was asleep.
An affidavit says the woman screamed for help as he hit her repeatedly and eventually fled the home.
Spears then made his way to another unlocked residence on Sharwood Court and approached a second woman, trying to remove her underwear, the affidavit says. When she awoke, the woman also woke up her husband when she realized a stranger was in her house, according to court records. Spears then reportedly left.
A wallet was also stolen from the second home during the encounter, the affidavit says.
Sgt. James Fuqua confirmed with 10TV that Spears is the same suspect in an ongoing prowler case, in which police requested the public’s help in submitting evidence. Police said they believed Spears had been frequently checking for unlocked doors in the area over the past month.
An investigation and tips from the community led to Spears’ arrest, according to police. He reportedly had an active felony warrant for strangulation.
Police said additional charges may be filed against Spears.
Spears is set to appear in court on Saturday.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Martin at 614-645-4701 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS (8477).
