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New assault charges added to old

An investigation leads to three more charges.

By IVAN PENN
Published November 9, 2006

A 40-year-old man was being held Wednesday in Pinellas County Jail on four counts of sexual battery in connection with assaults on women.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office describes the charges against Christopher J. Rahaim as serious felonies that resulted from several violent incidents.

Rahaim, of an area near Pinellas Park, has a long history of criminal arrests, including assault and battery, drugs and kidnapping.

Sheriff's deputies had arrested Rahaim on Oct. 17 on one count of sexual battery. After that arrest, six more women, ages 20 to 50, came forward and accused Rahaim of attacking them.

An investigation led to three additional charges Tuesday. The statute of limitations had expired on some of the other accusations, law officials said.

Sheriff deputies say Rahaim met the women through personal ads in local newspapers, as well as at bars and clubs.

Detectives continue to investigate.

"The detective said again today, based on the conversations with the victims, there might be other women," said Marianne Pasha, a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman.

Rahaim's arrest history dates back to the early 1990s, with charges that include narcotic equipment possession, stalking, burglary, false imprisonment and hit-and-run. Many of the charges were dropped or dismissed or the court withheld judgment.

Rahaim was being held Tuesday. His bail was set at $600,000 in connection with the four latest charges.

Anyone who has information about Rahaim is asked to contact Detective Ed Judy at 727-582-6200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 01:58:38]