The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office says 25-year-old Jamal Scott James, wanted by police for aggravated rape and attempted murder, turned himself into deputies Friday evening.

St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office says that the Opelousas man is was wanted for a brutal rape that happened Thursday evening at the Beau Chene Truck Stop.

At that time, the Grand Coteau Police Department asked the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office to lead the investigation.

A detective in the case was able to get a judge to sign a warrant Friday for James’ arrest.

The St. Landry Sheriff’s Office, the Opelousas Police Department, the Lafayette Police Department, the Lafayette Sheriff’s Office, the Lafayette Marshall’s Office, the Grand Coteau Police Department and the U.S. Marshall’s Office were all involved in the hunt for James.

After much conversation with St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Detective Ed Smith James agreed to turn himself in.

After police say James beat and raped the 59-year-old woman at the Beau Chene Truck Stop, they say evidence shows he may have also raped another woman about eleven hours later.

On Friday morning, detectives were called out to investigate another forcible rape where a man knocked down a woman’s door and forcibly raped her. James is now a suspect in that case.

The woman was able to identify Jamal Scott James as the man who attacked her.

The victim was released from the hospital and is expected to make a full physical recovery.

Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says,

 

“Jamal Scott James is now in custody and he will be extensively interviewed by our detectives. The physical evidence against him is overwhelming and the manhunt for him was massive, including seven agencies. He knew he had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The crimes he apparently committed where appalling, unspeakably heinous. Behind bars, in our jail… he is now no longer a threat to the people of St. Landry Parish.”

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