Sexual assault suspect captured more than a week after UH student raped, police say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A sexual assault suspect who police described as a "sadistic predator" following the alleged rape of a University of Houston student earlier in February has been captured.

Eric Brown, 40, is charged with sexual assault and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in the Feb. 7 attack.

On Tuesday, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said a civilian recognized Brown while he was riding the METRORail, leading to his arrest. Kate Jablonski was working nearby and saw the arrest take place.

"I'm so surprised someone was able to identify them on the Metro, and I'm just really glad action was being made to catch him," Jablonski said.

According to new information from officials Tuesday, Brown is believed to be homeless and, before his arrest, was even spotted using METRORail and at libraries in the area since the crime.

METRO police sent ABC13 the following statement:

"This afternoon, METRO Police officers monitoring surveillance cameras noticed a man walking on light rail tracks that matched the description of the University of the University of Houston sexual assault suspect. METRO Police reacted quickly and arrested the suspect at the EaDo Platform, located at Texas and Emancipation Streets, at approximately 2:48 p.m. The safety and security of METRO customers and employees is our top priority. We will continue to work hard every day to continue to earn their trust. The case is still under investigation. We are unable to provide additional details at this time."

It comes after mistakes were made in the investigation, police admitted, though University of Houston PD Chief Ceaser Moore wouldn't give specifics, only that there were communication issues ultimately leading to Brown's release, despite initially having him in custody.

"I think officers did a stellar job responding to the case because the perpetrator was arrested within six hours of committing the event. Obviously, there could've been better communication. I think it's a communication issue, a timing issue, shift change issue. I think a lot of things came into play, but the bottom line, it was a communication issue," Moore said.

Brown is accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint on Feb. 7 at around 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of the UH Welcome Center Student Parking Garage.

According to charging documents, the victim was cleaning her vehicle as she was preparing for a sorority event when Brown came up to her and asked to borrow a pen. That's when Brown reportedly forced his way into her vehicle and raped her at knifepoint, documents said.

Additionally, police say he stole $30 from her. When officers ran into him later that night, Brown was found with the cash and a knife, according to charging documents.

Court documents say he became confrontational with police and was shocked with a Taser. Brown was arrested by UHPD at the time.

The University of Houston said they wanted charges pressed for his interaction with police, but District Attorney Sean Teare, who spoke at the press conference with UHPD Tuesday, said there was not sufficient evidence, and he was released.

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According to Teare, the UHPD officers focused on an assaulting a peace officer charge and only mentioned the sexual assault as an aside.

When ABC13 asked if UHPD notified the DA's office that Brown was a suspect in the sex assault, a university spokesperson said she did not have that information.

It's unclear when Brown was officially connected to the sexual assault, but as of last week, there was a warrant out for his arrest.

Teare added that the officers didn't specifically ask for a sexual assault charge, but Teare admits his staff should still have flagged the case.

"We should have had a more experienced prosecutor highlighted to look at that case. There were a lot of things internally that we are going to work through and fix, but the bottom line is, he was released," Teare told ABC13.

Despite the problems, Moore said his UHPD officers are experienced, trained, and will be the ones who continue to work on the rape investigation. When asked, though, why his officers didn't call the district attorney's office's hotline to report the rape, Moore said he didn't know.

Moore defended his department staying on the case despite the issues. UHPD doesn't handle many violent sexual assaults.

State data shows only 13 sexual offenses took place on campus last year. HPD investigated more than 2,400.

"If I outsourced it, there would be a timeframe from outsourcing it and people actually being there versus if we do it an investigator would be there within an hour," Moore explained.

Documents reveal that Brown has a lengthy history of charges, dating all the way back to 2002. His most recent charge was a misdemeanor assault on a family member in 2018, documents said.

In addition to the sex assault, recently, a couple of students have been robbed of their scooters, and there's also been an armed robbery of a cell phone near campus as well.

Last week, 28-year-old Steven Simon was arrested in connection with the scooter thefts.

So far, no one has been taken into custody for the cell phone robbery.

The university said it has committed to increased police presence and what they call "improved coordination" for holding suspects accountable.

SEE ALSO: Police report another robbery at University of Houston ahead of student protest over campus safety