A man faces criminal charges for robbing and raping a sex worker in Gary, according to court documents.
Deandre M. Gardner, a.k.a. Deandre Faison, 27, was charged Tuesday with three counts of rape, a Level 1 felony; one count of criminal confinement, a Level 3 felony; armed robbery, a Level 3 felony; and intimidation, a Level 5 felony.
He also faces a gun enhancement, which could add 5-20 years to his sentence if convicted. He is listed as homeless in court documents.
At maximum, he could face nearly a century behind bars.
He is being held without bail until Oct. 24, when it is set at $150,000, or $15,000 cash surety. His next court date is Oct. 18 before Judge Samuel Cappas.
Gary Police wrote the rape happened on April 20 on a top-floor apartment in the 2500 block of Connecticut Street, documents state.
A Chicago Police officer notified Gary Police after meeting the victim at Roseland Community Hospital.
The victim told police she agreed to meet a man for a “QV” (quick visit) via a Text Now app for $150. He sent her his photo and address.
A different man met her at the apartment. She had to “play it cool” to not “arouse suspicion” and wanted to get an Uber out of there.
The upstairs apartment looked like a filthy “trap house” filled with garbage, debris and broken glass. He said to excuse the place; she raised her eyebrows.
“(Expletive) that, give me what you got,” he told her, according to the charging documents.
The woman thought it was a joke. He pulled a gun.
“Who are you talking to,” he asked.
The man grabbed her purse, then searched it for money or stuff to steal.
“You moving too much, stay still. Be quiet,” he told her.
The woman was “shaking,” but complied, telling him she wasn’t from the area. She cried and told him she “just wanted to leave and see her children.”
Holding a gun to her head, he forced her to transfer “her last $38” on a cash app, as well as taking $21 from her purse, according to the charges.
Saying he would “check her body,” the man, pointing a gun, sexually assaulted, raped the woman, then forced her to perform a sex act.
He threatened to kill her if she screamed or went to the police. He kept her purse with her identification card.
Gary Police Det. Olivia Vasquez said she knew the apartment building from previous Gary Police “contacts.” They executed a search warrant on April 21.
Gardner and other individuals were downstairs. All said they weren’t home the prior day.
A rape kit tested by Indiana State Police linked to an “unknown male” and another match to Gardner, the affidavit states.
mcolias@post-trib.com