MIAMI – A woman taking out her trash early Monday morning was the victim of a violent sexual assault, according to the City of Miami Police, when she was dragged into a parking lot and raped.
The department’s special victims’ unit arrested Mike Kevin Jacques, 24, of Miami, hours later. Police are concerned there may be other victims.
The victim, Taylor Seeds, says she noticed Jacques the night before.
“His face stuck out,” she said. “It was like his eyes, I don’t know to explain it.”
Seeds told investigators that, at 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 30, she had taken out her garbage and was on her way back into her house when she was grabbed by a man who approached her from behind. She told police that the man forcefully dragged her by her hair away from the house and into a nearby parking lot in the area of 7600 North Miami Avenue.
“He grabbed me from behind, tried to push me inside, and I was able to shut and lock the door,” she said. “And from there I was just fighting him off.”
She told investigators that she was actively fighting the man and screaming for help but he removed her clothes and raped her as he held her down.
“I have bruises and cuts, because he was dragging me, cause my pants were coming off as he was dragging me, so it was basically just skin to concrete,” Seeds said.
She was able to break free and ran for help. The victim was unclothed, according to the arrest report, when she flagged down an off-duty Miami Police Officer at the intersection of North Miami Avenue and 77th Street.
“I didn’t want to give up,” she said. “I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of him winning. So I just fought and it worked.”
Surveillance footage from the area corroborated the details given by the victim and also showed the suspect arriving in a newer white model BMW X3 with a handicapped decal and a white sticker on the top left side of the windshield. Investigators tracked down the vehicle parked in a driveway of a home on NW 77th Street; they reported that it was rented to the suspect’s grandmother.
At 2:30 p.m., detectives watched as Jacques left the home and got into the car. He was stopped by police at NW 7th Avenue and NW 58th Street.
About 20 minutes later, at Miami Police headquarters, the victim made a positive identification after viewing a lineup of photos.
Jacques was shown photographs of the victim and himself at the scene. He denied all allegations.
He faces felony charges including sexual battery and kidnapping, among other charges.
“(I hope) he gets what he deserves and they treat him how he needs to be treated, in jail,” Seeds said. “I hope he never gets out to do this again to anybody else.”
According to a statement from police, “The victim . . . displayed immense courage in coming forward to report the crime.” Detectives believe there may be additional victims and are urging them to come forward to report any crime.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Miami Police Department’s Special Victims Unit at (305) 603-6300 or Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at (305) 471-8477.