Marcal Campbell and Edward Woodson, who were charged today with sexually assaulting a handicapped Plainfield woman.PLAINFIELD — A 30-year-old handicapped Plainfield woman was held hostage and raped by two Union County men after coming over for a Bible study class, prosecutors said today.
A Union County Grand Jury Wednesday returned an eight count indictment against Edward Woodson, 31, and Marcal Campbell, 30, charging both men with sexual assault and Woodson with an additional count of kidnapping, Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow announced this morning.
Woodson and Campbell are accused of holding the woman for nearly 12 hours in the basement of Woodson's family home on East Front Street in Plainfield, Romankow said. The woman — identified in the indictment only as "S.S." — apparently knew Woodson from her church.
Around 9 p.m. on Jan. 31, "S.S." was preparing for a baptism when Woodson invited her to his home for a Bible-study, according to Assistant Prosecutor Patricia L. Cronin, who is trying the case. Woodson brought her back to his home where they met up with Campbell and led her to the basement, where they sexually assaulted the victim together, Cronin said.
The woman sat in a chair in Woodson's bedroom until 6 a.m. the next morning, when Woodson forced her out of the house and into a snow storm, Cronin said.
Wearing only a sweatshirt and pants, Cronin said the victim was barely protected from the elements as she spent the next two hours begging for a ride home from strangers in the icy weather. Woodson's family members found her outside Woodson's home and paid for a taxi for her to be taken home around 9 a..m., Cronin said.
The victim reported the attack to her family and was treated at a local hospital, according to Cronin. Woodson was arrested two days later, and Campbell was charged on Feb. 14, Romankow said.
Campbell is a registered sex offender, according to the State Police's list of Megan's Law offenders.
The 30-year-old, who also goes by the aliases "Caldiggie Campbell" and "Marcel Campbell" was forced to register after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a boy under the age of 13, according to those records.
Campbell allegedly dragged his victim into an apartment and sexually assaulted him in 1993, the records show.
Both men are being held at the Union County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bail. Attorneys for the defendants could not immediately be reached for comment.