2 men arrested in rape, robbery of 72-year-old Vicksburg woman

18803528-smallVICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — Two men have been booked with a string of felonies related to the weekend rape of a 72-year-old Vicksburg woman.

The Vicksburg Post reports Mark Carver Jr., 27, and Jacorey Thomas, 20, both of Vicksburg, were arrested in the Saturday break-in and attack.

Thomas, arrested Monday, faces charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, home invasion, sexual battery and rape, said Police Chief Walter Armstrong. Carver, who was picked up Sunday, was charged with armed robbery, home invasion and attempted credit card fraud, he said.

“These guys will become very familiar with what the inside of a jail looks like,” Armstrong said. “It is my understanding we have a very strong case against them.”

The men are accused of kicking in the door of a home early Saturday, attacking the woman, and stealing items from the home. The victim went to a neighbor for help and the neighbor called 911.

The motive behind the attack is under investigation. Police said the victim was unfamiliar with her attackers whom she described as two black men.

“We had very little to go on but we literally worked around the clock,” Armstrong said.

“They did not know her,” Capt. Sandra Williams said.

One of the men had a gun during the attack, though police declined to say which man was armed. The gun has been recovered, Williams said.

Several hours after the home invasion, Carver reportedly attempted to use the victim’s debit card, Williams said. When he was unable to use the card because of insufficient funds in the account, the men threw the card and other identification information out the window of their vehicle on Mission 66, Williams said.

An EBT card and the victim’s driver’s license were found “by a person who was walking to work.” Investigators scoured the area and were able to recover the victim’s debit card, Williams said.

“The investigators worked endless hours in solving this case. They did an outstanding job,” Williams said.

Investigators from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in case, which aided in making the quick arrests, she said.