The Southern Pines Police Department arrested a man on second degree forcible rape charges and is jailed under a $500,000 bond.
Freeman Scott Ireland, 37, of Winnabow (Brunswick County), North Carolina, according to a Tuesday release.
A Southern Pines woman reported Monday to the police department that a male who she knew had sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping inside her apartment.
The news release stated Ireland was still inside the victim’s apartment when the officers arrived on scene. The woman was taken to Moore Regional Hospital for treatment.
Ireland is currently on “Supervised Release” by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction, after serving a prison term exceeding twenty years following a conviction of second degree murder and armed robbery in Brunswick County.
The initial investigation has revealed that Ireland was displaced from Brunswick County as a result of hurricane storm damage and was seeking to relocate to Moore County.
“There is no place in our community for predators, sexual or otherwise,” said Southern Pines Police Chief Temme. “I have worked closely with our law enforcement partners at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Adult Correction, to ensure that an additional arrest warrant was issued for Freeman Scott Ireland to further provide the highest level of safety possible, not only for the victim in this case, but for the entire community as well.”
Ireland has a Moore County District Court on October 9 and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
