Man guilty of assaulting waitress

The 22-year-old waitress parked her car under a streetlight, walked to it after work with a friend, and even called another friend on the phone while she got ready to start the car and drive home last March.

But even those safeguards couldn't protect her from Christopher Edward Taylor, county prosecutors said.

Taylor, 36, of Washington, D.C., was convicted yesterday in county Circuit Court in Annapolis on charges that he snatched the waitress March 21 from outside an Edgewater restaurant, forced her to withdraw money from an ATM and then sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.

He faces the possibility of life in prison when sentenced May 5.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys declined to comment further yesterday about the case prior to sentencing.

The Capital does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Prosecutors said Taylor attacked his victim at about 11:30 p.m. outside her place of work, The Original Steakhouse at 139 Mitchells Chance Road.

Assistant State's Attorney Sandra Howell said the victim parked her car in a well-lighted area, left work at the same time as another waitress, and used a cell phone to talk to a friend while she got herself situated in her car.

But two minutes after the victim entered her car, a man with a handgun walked up to the parked vehicle and forced his way inside.

Howell said the man - later identified as Taylor - told the victim she was an "easy target" because she was sitting alone in her car.

Taylor drove the victim around south county for about an hour before assaulting her, Howell said. He tied her up with her own shoelaces, rifled through her purse and used her ATM card to withdraw $100 from her bank account.

Taylor eventually parked the car outside Adam's The Place for Ribs on Mayo Road in Edgewater, put a gun to her head and forced her to perform a sex act. Afterward, he got out of the car and left her tied up in her vehicle.

Detectives did not know who attacked the woman for about two months, until DNA left at the scene provided them with Taylor's name.

Taylor was previously convicted of a felony, a white-collar forgery case, defense attorneys said. The conviction required him to submit a sample of DNA to a national database, which in turn helped police crack this case.

After obtaining the DNA match, detectives interviewed Taylor in Washington, D.C. He told police he had never been to Edgewater and didn't know the victim. He said the DNA found at the scene wasn't his.

Taylor yesterday continued to maintain his innocence. He entered an Alford plea to one count each of first-degree sex offense and use of a handgun in a felony.

An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain his innocence while still taking advantage of a plea agreement with the state. It carries all the consequences of a guilty plea.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped nine related charges.

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sad.. - 2010-03-16 09:52:58

Hes going to try anything he can to not get into trouble obviously, but in reality he needs to be behind bars forever! I remember when this first happened and his ugly face was all over Edgewater. Its such a shame he had to come down to edgewater to do such a bad thing when he probably knew it was going to be easy for him since its pretty laid back around here. I hope the girl can somehow get around this mess

unhide Comment hidden due to low ranking. Why is this comment hidden?

beach babe - eDgEwAtEr!, md - Karma: Neutral

Wimp thug - 2010-03-12 10:04:06

I hope the young woman can do her best to move forward.

He is a predator and I hope he doesnt see the light of day for years to come, because he will prey on someone again and probaly have done it before.

Anthony Forrest - crownsville, MD - Karma: Excellent

Comment disabled due to community reporting. - 2010-03-11 19:19:36

Why is this comment hidden?

Comment removed by HometownAnnapolis staff. - 2010-03-11 15:29:02

Staff message: Why is this comment hidden?

Thug - 2010-03-11 14:45:49

He deserved Life for this, hell he already has a felony on his record. This young lady will have to deal with this for the rest of her life and so should HE!

Michelle Buchholz - Edgewater, MD - Karma: Excellent

20 not enough - 2010-03-11 14:29:49

20 years is not enough Chuck, make it 30 or more. I too hope she recovers and can move on with her life.

Edward Casey - Crofton, MD - Karma: Excellent

shame...... - 2010-03-11 13:33:18

it's just a shame an innocent person has their life ruined by a bad person...i hope she recovers from this and moves past this incident... and i hope the man learns to admit his mistakes and grows up....an alford plea here is sad.... i say 20 years.......what say you ???

chuck murray - edgewater, md - Karma: Neutral

Comment removed by HometownAnnapolis staff. - 2010-03-11 13:03:17

Prosecutors: He forced his way into her car in Edgewater parking lot

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