Woman looking for walk on the beach raped by man she met on dating website, police say
A woman who wanted company for a walk on the beach was raped by a Daytona Beach man she met on a dating website, police said.
David C. Irwin, 31, of Daytona Beach, was arrested Wednesday and charged with felony battery, and two counts of sexual battery of a victim 18 years or older by a person 18 years or older. He is out of the Volusia County Branch Jail on $200,000 bail.
Daytona Beach police did not identify the dating site.
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The 19-year-old victim told police that she exchanged messages on the dating site with Irwin and they agreed to meet on Jan. 5. Although she flirted and spoke of sex, the woman told Irwin that she was not interested in any physical contact, only that she sought a date on the beach and then to return home, the arrest report said.
"It appeared that (the victim) was looking for a long-term relationship and Irwin was looking for a one-night stand," police wrote in their report.
Irwin picked up the woman, who had never been to Daytona Beach, and they went for a walk on the beach. He started touching the woman inappropriately, police said.
The woman pushed Irwin's hand away and he apologized. He then invited the woman to eat at Popeye's on Ridgewood Avenue in Daytona Beach, a report states.
After ordering food, the victim thought Irwin would take her home but instead took her to his home on Model Street in Daytona Beach where he raped her, police said.
During the attack, Irwin grabbed the woman by the neck and choked her until she was unable to breathe, police said. She was able to bend Irwin's finger backward to free herself and called 911, the arrest report states.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida woman who asked for date on beach on dating website raped
