Florida Man Tortured, Starved And Raped Ex-Girlfriend; Held Her Captive For Days

Brevard County, Florida -- A Florida man abused and raped a woman for nearly a week after the victim revealed she had a previous relationship with a Black man, police documents showed.

Charles Tanner, 51, was arrested in Brevard County Wednesday on charges of sexual battery, aggravated battery, felony battery, false imprisonment, aggravated assault and sexual cyberharassment, the New York Post reported, citing an affidavit filed by Brevard County Sheriff's Office (BCSO).

The charges were connected to Tanner's alleged detainment of a woman identified by police only by her initials, A.H., in his home in Cocoa, Florida, between June 3 and June 8.

A.H. admitted to receiving drugs from Tanner at his home on or around June 3 as she was experiencing a withdrawal. She told investigators that she has known Tanner for five years and had been in a relationship with him, which ended a month ago.

After “enjoying her high,” A.H. had consensual sex with Tanner as a form of payment and later told him that she previously had a relationship with another man who was “of African American descent,” according to the affidavit, which was submitted to Florida's 18th Circuit Court on June 21.

It was unclear if Tanner and A.H. were in a romantic relationship at the time.

Tanner was enraged by the revelation and kicked A.H. in the head, according to police. He proceeded to detain A.H. for five days at his home, during which Tanner strangled her, beat her with a closed fist and berated her for being "unfaithful," the affidavit said.

"The defendant would then smoke methamphetamine, become enraged and then forcefully have sex with A.H. against her will or make her perform oral sex on him," the police affidavit read.

Tanner violated A.H. with a sex toy, a cucumber and a corn cob, police said. He took photos of these acts with the victim's phone and sent the photos to her friends and father on Facebook, according to authorities.

Tanner sexually battered A.H. at least 10 times over the course of her detainment, the victim told police.

In addition to the sexual abuse, Tanner also held a knife to A.H.'s throat, hit her with an extension cord and held a pillow over her face until she lost consciousness as he grew increasingly paranoid "due to his prolonged methamphetamine use," the affidavit read.

Tanner allegedly tried to sleep on top of A.H. on the fifth night to keep her confined, but she was able to wriggle from him and flee.

A.H. sought help from Tanner’s neighbors while naked and covered in bruises, according to documents. The unnamed residents let A.H. inside their home, provided her with clothing and called the BCSO at around 1:40 a.m. on June 8.

Responding deputies spoke with A.H. before she was transported by the Brevard County Fire Rescue to Rockledge Regional Hospital due to her condition. A.H. suffered two broken ribs, medical records showed.

Police were later able to recover A.H.'s phone. Photos of her abuse were sent to more than 50 people, authorities found.

Tanner remained held at the county jail without bond as of Friday pending his arraignment, which is set to take place on July 26.

He was arrested in 2013 over an incident similar to what A.H. went through, police said. The victim of the past incident was "held against her will by the defendant over several days, where he battered her, sexually battered her and used her cell phone to film himself urinating and defecating on her," according to the affidavit.