Man accused in Tacoma daycare attack charged for 12 crimes

By KOMO Staff Published: Mar 21, 2013 at 4:12 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:38 PM PDT
Man accused in Tacoma daycare attack charged for 12 crimes »Play Video
Andrake Morris appears at his arraignment in Pierce County Superior Court on March 21, 2013.
TACOMA, Wash. -- The man who is accused of attacking and sexually assaulting a woman at a Tacoma day care on Monday has now been charged with 12 crimes spanning five separate incidents, prosecutors said Thursday.

Andrake Morris, 18, pleaded not guilty to all the charges, which include first-degree rape, attempted kidnapping, robbery, assault, and incident liberties. He's being held on $2 million bail.

Morris was arrested Monday night, just hours after the attack at the Tender Heart Learning Center. Police say the victim was opening up the daycare around 6:40 a.m. when a man who was waiting outside asked to enroll a child. She texted her mother and husband saying she was uncomfortable and moments later was attacked and sexually assaulted, police said. The attacker ran off when the mother and her husband arrived a few minutes later. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment of multiple injuries.

Prosecutors say evidence from that crime scene now ties Morris to four other previously-unsolved crimes:
  • In March 2012, prosecutors say a woman was sexually assaulted in a Lakewood Walgreens parking lot.

    "I was trying to get him off of me so I was clawing at his neck," said the victim Candy. She says she kept up the fight as the attacker tried sexually grabbing her through her clothes.

    "I didn't know if I would be able to get away or where he was carrying me to or if I'd be able to get away or what his intentions were," she said. She was able to break free and eventually provide a description of the suspect to Lakewood police.

  • In August, a man sexually assaulted a woman in her Tacoma apartment as she slept and stole her laptop.

  • In October, a mother was robbed at gunpoint outside a Tacoma Walgreens at a DVD rental box as her 2- and 4-year-old children were present. The robber took her wallet and then ran away. The woman told detectives she could identify the robber if he was located.

  • In January, a man sexually assaulted a woman in her apartment's laundry room. When the victim told the attacker there were surveillance cameras, the man ran off. The woman was able to provide a detailed description of her attacker.
Both the stolen laptop from the August robbery and the mother's wallet from the October robbery were recovered during Morris' arrest Monday, investigators said. In addition, all five victims have picked Morris out from a photo book.

Prosecutors say there could be additional charges as their investigation continues.