Man allegedly raped and kidnapped women while on bail

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man arrested on rape charges last year was hit with similar charges this month when he was released on bail.

Michael Davis, 57, was released on bail in April 2023 after being arrested on rape charges, according to Franklin County Municipal Court. He is currently in the Franklin County Jail and is expected to appear in court on Saturday after being arrested on three additional counts of rape and kidnapping on Friday.

“He’s a cold-blooded guy,” said Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Minerd. “There’s a pattern of behavior here. How long has he been doing this? Who knows. We’ve known for at least the last few weeks.”

Minerd said detectives arrested Davis after several women accused him of rape.

“The modus operandi was essentially to lure these young women,” Minerd said. “They were victims who were vulnerable for various reasons. Then he would kidnap them and sexually abuse them for several days. Often times, he would pay them if they escaped.”

The first victim came forward by phone in early May, but investigators were unable to locate her.

Then another woman called, and another, all with very similar accounts of being kidnapped, taken to his house, raped at knifepoint and forced to take what they thought was cocaine, court documents show.

“Since then, we have identified what we believe is a fourth victim, and we believe there may be a fifth as well, given the last few weeks and his pattern of behavior,” Minerd said.

At the time of these alleged rapes, Davis was free on $500,000 bail. He faces rape charges in 2023.

“This case is unique in that we believe there are other people out there, and there may be more than the five we believe are there. There may be more,” Minerd said.

Davis is a business owner and drives a black GMC Denali truck. The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information on Davis to call 614-525-3333.

“We have every reason to believe there may be other women out there, so we hope that anyone who saw the truck or any suspicious behavior recognizes this man,” Minerd said. “He’s a big guy, he has a large build and is very intimidating because of his size. If anyone sees a picture of him, a picture of his truck, we ask that they call the sheriff’s office and report any information they may have that could lead us to these other victims that we believe are out there.”

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