Walker man arrested for allegedly taking Baton Rouge woman hostage, raping and assaulting her in her home

BATON ROUGE – A Walker man accused of beating and raping a woman in her Baton Rouge home was arrested Tuesday, records show.

David Blake Coutee, 38, was arrested in Livingston Parish and is charged with first-degree rape, second-degree aggravated assault, false imprisonment, aggravated criminal damage to property and aggravated assault in East Baton Rouge Parish. The rape, assault and detention occurred on June 11 and 12, according to a Baton Rouge police affidavit.

Coutee came to the woman’s home late June 11, thinking another man was in her house. He then became violent when she denied anyone was in the house, the warrant states.

He then dragged the woman through her house by her hair, forced her to strip naked, and repeatedly beat and raped her in the attic, police said.

“The physical and sexual violence lasted for hours and left the victim hopeless,” the affidavit states.

Coutee continued to be plagued by fear that someone was in the house and eventually stuffed burning paper towels into the vents to smoke out the man he believed was in the house, police added.

Eventually, Coutee left the house, but not before calling his father to tell him that everything was fine and she would not call the police, police said.

The woman was taken to Ochsner Hospital around 7 p.m. on June 12, where she was treated for scars covering more than half of her body, a ruptured eardrum and low pressure in both eyes after being repeatedly struck in the face with a flashlight and Coutee’s fist, police said.

According to court records, Coutee was arrested in Livingston in 2021 on second-degree rape charges. He was ultimately not charged with the rape, but pleaded guilty to other crimes related to the incident. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, with all but three years suspended, according to 21st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perrilloux.