A 29-year-old woman fought off an unknown attacker last night at Minto Brown Park, escaping a man who tried to kidnap her at knifepoint, according to the Salem Police Department.
Police said they arrested 23-year-old David Belluno and booked him into the Marion County Jail. He has since been charged with first-degree counts of kidnapping and attempted rape, as well as three other felonies and a misdemeanor.
According to a news release, the victim was walking near the pedestrian bridge when a man knocked her down and dragged her into the brush. He had a knife, but the victim was able to fight off her attacker and run away.
She called police, and within four minutes officers were searching the park. They found Belluno, who matched the victim’s description.
“She gave us quite a bit of detail,” Salem Police Lt. Treven Upkes said. “Her description matched him to a T.”
Upkes declined to say whether Belluno had a knife on him when contacted my police, or how far from the scene of the crime he was.
According to available court records, he has no criminal history in the state. Upkes said Belluno, from the Salem area, was not known to law enforcement.
Upkes said he did not know how long Belluno allegedly had contact with the victim. He declined to say whether the victim was physically injured.
Belluno will be arraigned in Marion County Circuit Court at 3 p.m. Friday.
