NEW HAVEN — Police are no longer searching for the suspect in an assault on a woman involving corrosive chemicals. On Friday, January 8, at 7:45 p.m., New Haven officers responded to a Spring Street home on reports of an assault.
The victim was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital for injuries to her face, neck, chest and arms, and her skin was discolored and peeling. The victim told officers that her upstairs male neighbor had thrown a caustic liquid at her, causing the injuries. Detectives found a red plastic cup that had remnants of a chemical inside, which along with her injuries confirmed her account.
The victim said that she had previously dated the man who attacked her, but that they had broken up and she had an active restraining order against him. The victim said that the attack happened after she refused to marry him. She also said that he told her she had a handgun, but that she had never seen it.
The suspect was identified by the victim as Derek Lee Rawls, 50, of New Haven. Police were afraid he was on the run and may have gone to Atlanta, Georgia, but police announced he turned himself in around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
The victim has been treated and released from the hospital.
Rawls is a convicted felon. His criminal history includes convictions for robbery, first degree escape, unlawful-restraint in the second degree and felonious assault in Ohio.
In this case, he is charged with assault, criminal attempt to commit assault, reckless endangerment, breach of peace and violating a protective order. He is held on a $500,000 bond as he awaits arraignment.
