Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced today the arrest of Cornelius Julian Howard Junior DOB 12-30-75 for criminal sexual conduct and burglary. Sheriff Lott stated that Howard, an independent truck driver, met the victim on an on-line dating site. After chatting for several weeks on-line, the victim agreed to meet Howard for lunch at a Columbia restaurant. The victim and Howard rented a movie and returned to her apartment where Howard sexually assaulted the victim. The victim repeatedly told Howard to stop and to leave. Eventually, Howard left her home only to re-enter the apartment, uninvited, and assaulted the victim a second time. Howard was arrested on January 24, 2011 in connection with this incident and that the Department is concerned that since Howard travels in and out of Columbia on a regular basis, that there may be other women who have been victimized by Howard. Sheriff Lott is asking that anyone who has been victimized by Howard to please contact Investigator Carter at 803-576-3029. The Sheriff added that anyone who has been the victim of any crime will be treated with compassion and respect – to please report all crimes so that those responsible will be brought to justice. Citizens can access important information about crime prevention, free safety training and community resources at: Website: www.rcsd.net Twitter: http://twitter.com/RCSD Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rcsd.net Nixle: http://local.nixle.com/richland-county-sheriffs-department/
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