A man who took off his pants and attempted to rape a La Quinta Hotel employee overnight has been arrested, Coral Springs police spokesman Lt. Joe McHugh said.
Maurice Miller, 23, of Coral Springs was apprehended by a K-9 officer at 8:45 a.m. Thursday morning after a resident in the 9500 block of NW 37 Court called to report a suspicious man in her backyard.
Police recognized Miller from a description given by the victim of an attempted rape just hours earlier at the La Quinta at 3701 University Drive, McHugh said.
The victim, a female hotel employee, told police Miller came into the lobby, asked for two napkins, and inquired about room rates. Just before 4:45 a.m., she said, he returned to the desk to report the hotel vending machine had taken his money but was unable to provide room information for a refund.
The victim then went into a back office to complete some paperwork, according to the police, but minutes later Miller jumped over the counter and entered the office without his shorts on and holding his genitals.
The victim told police Miller forced her into a further office, where she began to struggle in fear of being raped.
Police say he then began to punch her several times in the head and face before her screams caused him to flee.
Local
Miller was wearing his shorts when he was arrested, according to McHugh, who said he sustained bites from the K-9 and was taken to hospital for treatment before being transported to Broward County's main jail.
The victim, who sustained a minor mouth injury, positively identified Miller in a line-up.
He is charged with attempted sexual battery, burglary/battery and exposure of sexual organs, according to Coral Springs police.
Broward County arrest records show Miller was arrested on charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, false imprisonment, and eluding arrest in 2007. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney.
