First, city man to face charges he blinded 86-year-old with an iron
By ROB MARGETTA, Standard-Times staff writer
A group of armed U.S. marshals gathered outside of the Free Library of Philadelphia's main branch Thursday, preparing to take down a dangerous suspect who had been on the run for months: Darren L. Bates, wanted on charges of violently raping a New Bedford woman, then fleeing to Georgia, where he blinded an 86-year-old woman with a clothes iron.
Officers found Mr. Bates using a computer and captured him without incident, putting to rest fears that had been haunting investigators since they had been put on his trail.
"We were anxious about what else he might do on the road," New Bedford Police Chief Ronald E. Teachman said.
The arrest in downtown Philadelphia came just days before New Bedford was going to send a group of its own investigators to the city, charged with bringing Mr. Bates in.
"We wanted this guy bad enough that, when we heard he was in Philadelphia, we were going to send a team down there," Chief Teachman said.
The case against Mr. Bates, 35, whose last known address was 12 Nye St., began March 27, when police say he left a woman hospitalized after raping her.
Mr. Bates had open warrants and previous charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon and domestic assault, and was already considered a violent offender. But the rape made capturing him a "front-burner" case, Chief Teachman said.
Detective Alberto Silva and Trooper David Reis of the state police warrant apprehension team were assigned to the case. And, because Mr. Bates lived in Fall River for years, they added Fall River Officer Robert Williams to their team.
Over the next few months, they built a 2-inch-thick folder on Mr. Bates: his previous offenses, where he had been, where he might be.
"They worked on this tirelessly," Chief Teachman said. "They didn't let up from March until now."
Eventually, the team discovered that Mr. Bates had been arrested in Georgia, charged with assaulting a police officer during a traffic stop.
He was sent to a low-security lockup, but his confinement didn't last long. He escaped.
Georgia authorities could not say yesterday how Mr. Bates got out, but New Bedford Capt. Richard Spirlet said the fugitive broke into several homes while on the run.
In one of those homes, "he brutally assaulted an elderly female with a clothing iron," Capt. Spirlet said. "As a result of this assault, the female is now blind."
Mr. Bates stole the woman's car and drove to Philadelphia, where the vehicle was recovered, Capt. Spirlet said.
John Patcrignani, supervisor of the U.S. Marshals' Violent Crimes Fugitives Task Force in Philadelphia, said his agency was tipped off to Mr. Bates' presence in his city by Providence marshals, who were working off information from the New Bedford team.
"We used various investigative tools to track him," and eventually figured out he was living under an alias and using the library computers, Deputy Patcrignani said.
After alerting library staff to the raid, they moved in to arrest Mr. Bates, the deputy said.
The chief said the arrest was a credit to interdepartmental collaboration.
"This case is another example of productive cooperation between municipal, state and federal authorities," he said.
Mr. Bates will first face charges in Georgia, then Massachusetts. The chief said his department doesn't mind waiting for Georgia.
"You certainly want justice for his victims, but knowing that he's in custody somewhere is a relief for everybody," the chief said.
Detective Silva echoed the sentiment.
"It's just good to have him off the streets," the detective said. "I called the victim from the March case and told her when he was arrested. She's relieved."
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