Man wanted for chaining up, raping woman arrested

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man accused of locking a woman in an Indianapolis house and repeatedly raping her in July has been arrested.

Maurice Nelson, 28, was wanted for multiple charges, including rape, criminal confinement, battery by bodily waste and intimidation. He was taken into custody Thursday morning by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

On July 14, police were called to a home on Norwaldo Avenue on the city’s north side after neighbors reported hearing a woman screaming for help. Officers entered the home and found a woman handcuffed, shackled and chained to a pole in the basement, court records state.

The victim spoke with 24-Hour News 8 about the horrifying experience.

“It’s hard for me to sleep at night,” the woman, who did not want to be identified, said. “I have to take anxiety and sleep medicine.”

She added, “I feel like I see his shadow or feel some movement coming.”

Nelson has a violent past and previously spent time in jail.

Court documents say she told police she traveled to Indianapolis and planned to stay at a northwest side hotel. On July 10, she talked to Nelson for the first time over a phone chat line. Documents say he offered her money and asked her to drink and watch a movie.

She agreed to meet him, and he took her to the home on Norwaldo Avenue, where police eventually found her naked and chained to the ground, according to IMPD.

Nelson is due in court Sept. 6 for an initial hearing.