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Escapee considered raping two, police say

MIAMI - A serial rape suspect who escaped jail said he considered committing a rape while he was on the loose for almost a week, authorities said.

Reynaldo E. Rapalo told investigators he spent six days in a makeshift shelter hidden in the brush of southwest Miami-Dade County.

During a six-hour interrogation Monday, Rapalo said he came out of hiding and stopped by a party on Christmas Eve where he considered raping two people.

A tipster led police to Rapalo on Monday night at a Miami shopping center. He escaped jail Dec. 20 by prying open a ceiling vent, cutting through bars and rappelling down the side of the building using tied-up bed sheets. After escaping, Rapalo said he ran south alongside railroad tracks.

"The entire time he was trotting down the rail tracks, he was looking up at the sky to see if helicopters were upon him," said Miami-Dade police Sgt. Robert Perez.

Some homeless men gave him money, which he used to buy a soda and to call someone. Detectives would not say who that person was, but said the person brought Rapalo food and the two stayed that night in the bushes nearby. It is unclear whether that person will face charges. Over the next several days, Rapalo made his way to the Dadeland Metrorail station, where he made several calls. He came out only for food and avoided the Little Havana neighborhood where he is accused of sexually assaulting seven women and girls, ranging from 11 to 79 years old.

[Last modified December 30, 2005, 01:35:18]