Evening star., 1954-12-30
$4,000 Bail Fixed
For Man in Assault
On Fairfax Girl, II

On Fairfax Girl, II
odRobert Clark Floyd. 43. today
Nas held in the Fairfax County
-sail for action Of the grand jury
On q charge of assaulting an IL
Near-old girl. His bond was SET
at $50, 900.
Floyd was given a preliminary
hearing before Substitute Judge
Ernest N. Hudgins. He at
tempted to enter a plea Of guilty
TO the formal charges OF rape
and carnal knowledge, but the
court could not accept this plea
for an offense punishable by
death.
ADetective Dennis O'Ne1 read q
Btatement detailing the crime
and signed by Floyd. The next
grand jury is scheduled to con-
v6ne January 10.
Floyd was not represented by
counsel but the court is expected
10 appoint an attorney before the
case reaches Circuit Court.
Floyd was picked UP last
might walking along a road
less than a mile from the girls
Lake Bancroft home.
Fairfax County police said
their captive told them he had
been hiding In the basement Of a
new home near Lake Barcroft
ever since December 4, the night
the rape occurred, sneaking out
occasionally to buy food at a
delicatessen in the Jefferson VII
jase Shopping Center. He was on
his way for more food when
caught. police said.
.1 Hunt Centered in Area.
Weeks Of watching and wait
lag for Floyd were spent by
nearby Virginia police ever since
the rape occurred. For Longer
than a week, police were staked
out at the rooming house where
he lived in the 1900 block OF
South Washington street, Falls
Church. Police were confident
Ne had not left the area. They
knew he could not read. write
or drive an automobile.
The break came shortly be-
fore 6 pm. yesterday, when
Falls Church Police Pvt. Will
liam Fletcher received a tele-
phone call from some one who
knew Floyd. The caller said
Floyd was walking along Shreve
Street.
Falls Church police Sergt.
John e. Wise. jr., and ABC In
Spector w. H. Hennage, who
happened to be in the Falls
Church police station at the time,
hurried to check out the tip.
-cfhere had been other futile
checks on calls from people who
thought they had seen Floyd,
but each tip had to be investi-
gated.
Carried Revolver.
osThis one turned out to be
kood. IN the 400 block of Shreve
street, Sergt. Wise found Floyd
walking calmly along the street.
Sergt. Wise said Floyd offered no
resistance, but In searching him
Police found he was carrying a
loaded .45-caliber revolver. Fair
FAX police said Floyd later told
them he had stolen the revolver
from q house on Sleepy Hollow
road near Falls Church.
a.Falls Church police turned
Floyd over to Fairfax County
h6iice. Fairfax Detectives Dennis
QNeil and David Eike. who
questioned Floyd, said he ad-
rpitted the rape and told how
he had managed TO elude police
since then.
~ Here is the account police
said Floyd gave them:
sc He was drinking beer and wood
alcohol the night of December
4scand brooded over his dislike
OF the girls father. Floyd was
smployed as a construction
worker by the girls father and
Wis dissatisfied with the pay he
received. He decided to go to
his employers house and get
k6me tools he knew were there.
M Checked by Phone.
First, he called to see If the
Urls parents were home be-
cause he didn't think he could
Set the tools If the parents were
4ere. The girl, who was home
baby-sitting with a younger
brother and sister, told Floyd
over the telephone her parents
were out.
s,Floyd went to the girls house
and went in to look for the tools.
He discovered a $3.50 rifle in
the closet of the master bed
room and fired a volley of shots
&C random in the room while the
terrified child watched. Then he
t6ok piece of cord he found
ii the bedroom, looped it around
the girls neck and attacked her.
He said he thought he warned
her not to shout or he would
tighten the rope.
s,He said he passed out after
attacking the girl once and found
her gone when he awoke. The
headlights of q car coming in
the driveway aroused him. He
Aed out the back door on foot,
and went straight to the base
tdent of a new house near Sleepy
Hollow road, less than q mile
nom the girls home.
soHe had remained there ever
dnce. sneaking out to buy food
when he was hungry. Once he
walked near the rooming house
where he formerly lived but de-
cided not to go in. Fairfax po-
nee said they had an armed
oficer inside Floyd's rooming
house that same night.
Escaped as He Slept.
n