Man faces up to 20 years in prison for 2014 Winthrop rape

The York County man who kidnapped and raped a female Winthrop student whose screams saved her life faces as much as 20 years in prison when he is sentenced Monday.

John T. Roddey Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexual assault in December to the Halloween 2014 incident, saying he did not want the victim to go through Christmas wondering if she would have to testify at a trial.

Roddey was arrested moments after the victim screamed and other students called 911. He was not a Winthrop student and told police he was walking back to his car after a night at a nearby bar when caught after 2 a.m.

Students who witnessed the assault from upstairs dorm room windows called 911 after hearing the victim’s screams.

The Herald does not identify sexual assault victims.

A student in an upstairs room at the Margaret Nance dorm saw a man pointing a gun at the victim who was screaming, “Please don’t hurt me!” Police did not find a handgun in Roddey’s possession, but they did find a BB gun later on.

Another witness saw the attacker take the victim behind the building with his hands on her neck and heard him scream at the victim to shut up.

Roddey initially denied being involved in the attack. DNA taken from both the victim and Roddey confirmed that Roddey was the attacker.

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 9:19 AM with the headline "Man faces up to 20 years in prison for 2014 Winthrop rape."