JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of raping or attempting to rape four women in three days at an apartment complex in Deerwood pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 10 felony counts
Brett Pincomb, 31, faces charges connected to four alleged attacks at the Point Meadows Apartment complex from May 13 to May 15. The last two were reported on the same day.
The first attack was reported on Pincomb’s birthday.
In every case, police say, Pincomb met the women he allegedly attacked online through a website for escorts and held them at knifepoint during the attack.
WATCH: Press play above to watch a replay of Tuesday’s arraignment
According to police, the fourth woman managed to get Pincomb’s pocketknife away from him and was badly cut on the palm of her hand in the process.
She gave the knife to investigators before being taken to the hospital for treatment, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
Three of the women picked Pincomb out of a photo lineup, and the fourth identified him in the field after police arrived, JSO said.
Pincomb is charged with five counts of sexual battery, one count of kidnapping, one count of false imprisonment, two counts of attempted sexual battery and one count of aggravated battery in the four cases.
During Pincomb’s arraignment on Tuesday, his attorney told Judge Tatiana Salvador that Pincomb was willing to plead guilty to the charges in exchange for a 15-year sentence.
The prosecutor said “that offer will be rejected,” adding that in all four cases, Pincomb could be sentenced to more than 36 years if convicted.
After pleading not guilty to all the charges on Tuesday, Pincomb was ordered to return to court on July 8 for a pre-trial hearing.
Timeline of reported assaults
According to Pincomb’s arrest reports, the first alleged attack happened around 9 a.m. on May 13, which is also listed as Pincomb’s birthday in the reports.
In the first report, the woman told police that she met Pincomb online and “a payment for sex was discussed,” but that when she arrived, he took her into a unit “smelling like dead animals” and attacked her, holding her at knifepoint and restraining her with duct tape.
According to the police report, an older man walked into the room during the assault and told the woman to leave, so Pincomb let her go.
The second attack was reported the next day at almost the exact same time, according to police.
The woman in that case also said she was held at knifepoint and restrained with duct tape and rope. He eventually cut the restraints and let her go, she told police.
On May 15, another woman Pincomb contacted online arrived at the Point Meadows Apartment complex via rideshare around 4:30 a.m.
According to police, Pincomb followed the woman into the elevator without identifying himself, then pulled a knife from his pocket and demanded she remove her clothing.
The woman was able to distract him long enough to push the emergency call button inside the elevator, stopping it from moving.
When an operator answered over the speaker, she screamed, startling Pincomb. When the elevator doors opened, she was able to escape.
The final reported assault happened less than four hours later on the same day, according to police.
The fourth woman to encounter Pincomb that week told police she also met him online, but when she arrived at the apartment complex for their arranged meeting, he pulled out a pocketknife and came at her.
She told police she was afraid for her life and fought back, managing to get the knife away from him but suffering a large cut on her palm in the struggle.
According to the woman, Pincomb said he would let her go if she gave the pocketknife back because “it was very special to him.” When he noticed her bleeding her offered her a piece of clothing to wrap the cut.
She took the piece of clothing and the knife, ran out of the apartment and called police.
Several hours later, officers arrested Pincomb at the apartment complex around 11 a.m., connecting him to both reported attacks on May 15.
According to investigators, when they questioned Pincomb, he confessed to sexually battering five women while armed with a knife or taser.
Investigators say there may be additional women who had similar encounters with Pincomb beyond those already identified.
Resources for survivors and their families
- The National Sexual Assault Hotline, 24 hours, call 1-800-656-4673
- Women’s Center of Jacksonville’s 24-hour rape crisis hotline: 904-721-7273 or visit https://thewcj.org
- Sexual abuse survivors in the Jacksonville area can get resources through Jewish Family & Community Services (JFCS), call 904-448-1933 or email info@jfcsjax.org