Rape Expert Correctly Profiled Accused Suspect

Channel 11 News spoke with one of the country's leading experts on sexual assault and stalking last week before police arrested and accused Arthur Henderson.

Steve Thompson, a professor at Central Michigan University, said the rapist in the Ross Township attacks was not following the typical pattern he saw in people who commit multiple rapes. A lot of Thompson’s predictions were correct.

"He's comfortable with that area. He knows the routines and he probably targeted those people and others," Thompson said.

Police said Henderson lived with his girlfriend at the Cascades Apartment Complex, where he’s accused of raping one of the women.

Thompson said given the facts available in the case, he thought the suspect was between 17 and 23 and likely lived in the area with relatives.

Henderson is 38, so Thompson was somewhat off with that prediction. However, police said they believe Henderson spent time staying at his mother’s in Marshall Shadeland.

Thompson said the rapist also could have had a job that involved little contact with other people.

"He targets apartment complexes, because it's a target-rich environment. He can look at 15 different windows or evaluate 15 different apartments in two minutes," said Thompson.

Thompson said there were some strange aspects to the case, including the time of day he would strike. He also said rapists typically don’t use a weapon.

"That tells me that he's insecure, because generally a rapist, when he attacks a woman, would not use a weapon because that's admitting to her and himself that he cannot gain power and control from his own physical prowess," Thompson said.

The most bizarre fact to the case, Thompson said, is that he was targeting women with dogs.

"That's incredibly unique because the dog is usually a deterrent," Thompson said. "It leads me to think that he's watched that dog and that woman and he doesn't suspect that the dog is going to attack. Or he's just damn stupid."

Thompson said the suspect will likely keep a low profile because of the police and media attention.

Previous Stories: January 11, 2012: Police Question Person Of Interest In Ross Twp. Rapes January 11, 2012: Police: Man Matching Rapist's Description Tried To Enter Franklin Park Home January 11, 2012: Women Learn To Protect Themselves After Rapes In Ross, Hopewell January 10, 2012: Local Rape Cases Bring Attention To Sex Offender Website January 10, 2012: Ross Twp. Sex Assault Cases Could Be Linked

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