Police: Man abducts, sexually assaults woman

Investigators say man targeted woman who didn't speak English

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office booking photo of Alphonso Haynes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 49-year-old Jacksonville man was arrested Wednesday after police said he abducted and sexually assaulted a woman.

Police believe Alphonso Haynes targeted the woman because of her lack of ability to speak any English.

Recommended Videos



Investigators said the woman's daughter called them about 2:30 p.m. and told them her mother had gotten into an unknown vehicle while waiting to be picked up outside of the Main Library downtown.

The woman's daughter said she was running late to pick up her mother when she received a call from an unknown man saying her mother was with him. The daughter told police the man put her mother on the phone and the woman began saying she did not know where she was, who she was with or where she was being taken.

The woman's daughter told police it was unlike her mother to get inside a stranger's car and that she had no other family or friends who would pick her up and take her anywhere.

Officers were sent to the woman's home to see if she was taken there, but she wasn't.

A detective researched the phone number and searched an area, and a short time later spotted the vehicle and called for additional units so a traffic stop could be conducted, police said.

The victim was inside the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop, and Haynes was taken into custody for questioning.

Through an interpreter, the victim reported that she was forcibly abducted and sexually assaulted.

Police said Haynes confessed to the kidnapping and sexual battery, which are now the charges he's facing.