A registered sex offender was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in the embattled Occupy New Haven camp, hours before protesters won a reprieve from a city order to vacate by today.
England Gamble, 53, of New Haven, was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual assault and unlawful restraint, according to police, who said the victim was raped either late Monday or early Tuesday. She was later treated at Yale-New Haven Hospital. "Occupy" organizers claimed that neither the victim nor the alleged attacker were members of the group.
The "Occupy" group, one of the last remaining camps from last year's national movement, had been under fire from city officials who say they have commandeered a public space at the expense of citizens who should be able to enjoy it. The city had ordered them out by noon Wednesday, but the protesters won a reprieve from a federal judge who gave them until at least March 28 to stay put.
Police were called to the scene on Tuesday by witnesses who found the victim in distress in a tent. They quickly zeroed in on Gamble, who is listed on the state's sex offender registry for a first-degree sexual assault conviction in 1991. Gamble was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday. It was unclear whether he had an attorney.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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