Managing Editor

Feb. 14, 2001 10 PM

A 23-year-old Opp man is out on $50,000 bond following his arrest on rape charges stemming from an alleged incident in which he stands accused of sexually assaulting a Troy woman.

According to information released by Troy Police Chief Anthony Everage, the victim, a Troy woman in her 20s, identified Cameron Rashad Tillis of Opp as the person who allegedly raped her on Feb. 9.

"The suspect allegedly raped the victim late on Feb. 8 or in the early morning hours of Feb. 9," said TPD public information officer Sgt. Benny Scarbrough. "We contacted the Opp Police Department with information that the suspect was believed to be in that area and they arrested him on Feb. 9."

Tillis was held by the Opp police until Feb. 10 when he was transported to Troy and charged with first-degree rape, Scarbrough said.

Following his arrest, Tillis was incarcerated in the Pike County Jail on $50,000 bond.

"He apparently made bond and is currently out," Scarbrough said.

Scarbrough would not comment on what the relationship between the suspect and the victim is, but said, "She knew enough to identify her alleged attacker."

Everage said he appreciates the help given to Troy police investigators by the Opp Police Department.

"We certainly appreciate their assistance in getting this suspect back into our jurisdiction," he said. "Their cooperation and help directly led to this arrest."

The attack allegedly occurred in the victim’s residence. Her name, exact age and address are not being released in order to protect her privacy.

"Crimes of this nature are very emotionally traumatic to victims," Everage said. "We are committed to seeing justice done when things of this nature are reported because of the seriousness of the offense."

Rape is considered a Class A felony in the state of Alabama and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"Our hearts go out to the victims in cases such as this," Everage said. "Of course innocence or guilt will be established by the courts, but we are pleased that we were able to make the arrest so that the judicial process can work the case to conclusion. It is a very unfortunate crime to be confronted with and we devote our thoughts and prayers to the victim and our resources to continuing to see to it that crimes like this don’t happen here. And when they do and they are reported, we plan on working as hard as we can to ensure that an arrest is made."