ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pinellas County Sheriff's Office arrested a St. Petersburg man accused of offering a woman a ride home before kidnapping her and ordering her to perform sexual acts on him while armed with a weapon.
Kenneth Brabham, 48, is charged with kidnapping, attempted armed sexual battery and committing a felony while possessing a weapon, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reports.
Around 3:30 am. on Wednesday, deputies say they responded to the area of Gandy Beach over reports of a woman running across Gandy Boulevard while being chased by a man. Witnesses told dispatchers the woman was screaming that a man was attempting to sexually batter her, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies arrived and found Brabham lying in the sand of Gandy Beach near the woman who was being chased. He was subsequently arrested.
Brabham picked up the woman in the Lealman area and offered to drive her a ride home due to the rain, according to investigators. The woman, who never met Brabham before, entered his truck and the two headed in the direction of the woman's home.
Once Brabham passed the woman's home, he armed himself with a weapon as he ordered her to perform oral sex on him, the sheriff's office said.
Detectives say the woman refused Brabham's advances and attempted to escape through the passenger window. The sheriff's office said Brabham began driving toward Gandy Beach, and at times, the woman was screaming for help and hanging out of the truck's window until he pulled over onto Gandy Beach.
Once the car came to a stop, the woman leaped from the truck and ran across Gandy Boulevard toward a nearby gas station, where she attempted to get help, according to authorities. Brabham caught the woman, began beating her and was in the process of dragging her to his truck when deputies arrived.
The woman was transported to a local hospital for treatment and is reportedly in stable condition, the sheriff's office says.
Brabham was transported to the sheriff's administrative building and interviewed. During the interview, authorities say he admitted to picking the woman up but denied attempting to sexually batter her.
He was then transported to the Pinellas County Jail where he is being held on multiple charges.
If you have any information in this case or believe you have been a victim of Brabham, you are asked to contact Detective Blumberg at 727-582-6779 or by email at cblumberg@pcsonet.com.
