Man allegedly kidnapped pregnant panhandler off the street, drugged and sexually assaulted her for years: court docs

A man in Houston held a woman captive in his garage for almost five years, using drugs to inhibit her escape, as per court files recently secured by local press. Charged with aggravated kidnapping, Lee Carter, 52, is alleged to have first interacted with the woman around five years ago when she was pregnant and begging in Almeda Genoa, as detailed in Harris County court documents procured by FOX 26 Houston. Carter, who had given the woman a dollar, then offered further assistance which she gratefully accepted. He subsequently transported her to his residence on Perry Street’s 5200 block in southeast Houston. According to a statement of charge, despite the victim’s pleas to leave, Carter utilized crack cocaine to incapacitate her to an extent that she was physically incapable of escaping his garage.

The case came to light when the victim managed to communicate with the police via Carter's computer in April 2023. Houston police attended Carter’s residence on April 7th of that year, where the woman revealed she had been imprisoned, drugged, and sexually assaulted by Carter over the course of four to five years. She also explained that she had managed to escape once through a garage window before Carter recaptured her, hospitalized her briefly, and bolstered his home security to prevent future escape attempts.

Police described the woman as malnourished, and weighing just over 70 lbs., while measuring about 5 ft. and 2 in. tall. They made initial contact in 2023, but Carter was evaded arrest until nine months later when he was apprehended during a welfare check at his residence instigated by a reported sighting of a switched-on television and the sound of a barking dog. The police were able to recover a dog which they think Carter employed to keep the victim imprisoned within the garage. Carter was eventually arrested at a motel, he is presently detained at Harris County Jail with bail set at $100,000. The woman was not at the location at the time of his arrest as per a report by FOX 26. There is no explanation as to why police were unable to apprehend him earlier in the year. Sources also informed FOX 26 that Carter is a local rapper known by the pseudonym "Viper".