South Fla. mom beaten, raped as newborn lay nearby

[February 14, 2012]  CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) -- Police say a South Florida mother managed to call 911 as a would-be burglar raped, beat and choked her while her newborn baby lay on a bed beside her.

Coral Springs police say dispatchers heard the assault taking place Sunday night after the 25-year-old woman called 911 on her cellphone. Police set up a perimeter around the neighborhood and arrested 19-year-old Gary L. Holmes.

Authorities say Holmes faces multiple felony charges and is being held without bond in the Broward County Jail.

The Miami Herald (http://bit.ly/xM6P0Q) reports Holmes walked through an open door and demanded valuables from the woman.

Police say Holmes assaulted the woman three times. He spotted the cellphone on his way out and tossed it in the garbage, police said. The baby was not injured.

[Associated Press]

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