State, local police searching for 24-year-old accused of raping St. Helena woman at gunpoint
A 24-year-old man accused of raping a woman at gun point in her St. Helena Island home more than a week ago is still at large, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Codrian Smalls of St. Helena has been wanted for first-degree criminal sexual conduct for more than a week.
A half-hour after the Sheriff’s Office sent a news alert out midday Friday saying Smalls was still wanted, a second alert was distributed, saying multiple St. Helena residents called to report where he was.
That notification said the Sheriff’s Office and state law enforcement were in the area of Lands End and Seaside Road searching for him. At 3:15 p.m., an additional news alert said the “concentrated search effort” was suspended.
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Smalls, law enforcement officers said, went into the woman’s home on Aug. 29 in the Lands End community of St. Helena, held her at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her over the course of several hours, then stole her handgun and left, the release said.
The woman’s home was processed for evidence, and investigators were able to identify the suspect as Smalls, a previous release said.
Smalls is 5-foot-9 and approximately 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing “a black and white hooded sweatshirt,” on Friday afternoon, the latest release said.
Anyone who sees Smalls is advised not to approach him because he is considered armed and dangerous. Instead, call 911 or Sgt. Jennifer Snider at 843-255-3421 or Crimestoppers at 843-554-1111.
Smalls was charged with second-degree assault and battery in December 2018, according to Beaufort County court documents. That case is still pending.
This story was originally published September 6, 2019 at 1:15 PM.
