Man accused of attempted rape in break-in at elderly woman’s Smithfield home

A 52-year-old man faces charges in Johnston County that he broke into a South Smithfield home Sunday and tried to rape an 89-year-old woman before fleeing and being tracked by police dogs, officials said in a statement Monday.

Jose Campuzano-Ramirez was being held in lieu of $1 million bail in the county jail pending a first court appearance.

Campuzano-Ramirez was charged with first-degree burglary, felony assault, first-degree kidnapping, attempted first-degree forcible rape and attempted first-degree sexual offense.

Police said they were alerted to a burglary call shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday and found the woman injured.

“Officers noted obvious signs of a struggle taking place inside the home,” police said in the statement.

K-9 teams followed a scent trail, and police found Campuzano-Ramirez after a “lengthy track,” the statement said.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Man accused of attempted rape in break-in at elderly woman’s Smithfield home."