Aberdeen man pleads to guilty to raping a woman in an abandoned building

Oct. 25—Tavon Isaiah Harvey, of Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to first degree rape, one count of an inmate causing contact with bodily fluid and violation of probation for a prior conviction for second degree assault on Monday.

On December 30, 2022, the victim reported a rape inside an abandoned building near the intersection of Law and Custis Streets in Aberdeen to the Aberdeen Police Department. Police said they found that Harvey, 29, had vaginally and anally penetrated the victim over the course of two hours between midnight and 2 a.m. that same date, according to a news release sent out on Tuesday.

Authorities said Harvey held the victim at knifepoint during the rape and also strangled her. The victim was able to escape when someone else entered the building and distracted Harvey.

The victim later identified Harvey in an MVA photograph. The victim also reported seeing Harvey watching her walk into the police precinct that morning.

After Harvey was arrested, he gave several conflicting versions of events. He said he had not seen the victim and only knew her in passing.

However, a sexual assault forensic exam found evidence of injuries and bruising consistent with the victim's recitation of events. DNA evidence also confirmed Harvey's identity.

In early April, Harvey was at the Harford County Detention Center for his trial on the rape case. While waiting, he used empty bottles from his shower to collect fecal matter and sprayed it over the bars and walls of the day room during a shift change. Deputies and correctional officers had to decontaminate the area.

Harvey remains held without bond at the Harford County Detention Center while awaiting sentencing which is currently scheduled for January 25, 2024. Harvey faces 85 years in prison for the first degree rape case.

Harvey's lawyer was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday.