Two people have been charged in an alleged drug-search rape of a woman.
Police responded to a Nov. 3 call from Mountain Creek Road and spoke to the victim. She said two acquaintances had spent the night with her. After sleeping for a while, she woke up and found them rummaging through her belongings.
She said when she confronted Heather Frank, 26, and Austin Higdon, 22, they began to assault her and said she stole their Xanax. She told police that Ms. Frank held her down while Higdon removed her clothes. She said Higdon forced his hand into her vagina in search of Xanax.
The victim had several head wounds that needed staples to close, and went to a rape crisis center for a sexual assault exam. Police said the exam revealed wounds to her arms, shoulders, legs, face, and neck, all consistent with being held down. Wounds to her vaginal area were also consistent with sexual assault.
Law enforcement found Higdon and Ms. Frank a short distance from the victim’s apartment. Higdon initially told police he pushed Ms. Frank and the victim to break up a fight, but police said he later admitted to hitting the victim on the head after she tried to make them leave the apartment.
Higdon and Ms. Frank denied any role in sexual assaulting the victim. Both were booked on Saturday.
Higdon is facing an aggravated assault charge, while Ms. Frank is facing an aggravated rape charge.
Higdon was placed on the county's 12 Most Wanted List in January 2018 after he was charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and other counts. He wound up pleading guilty on some of the charges and getting a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days in the workhouse.