Middletown man arraigned on three rape charges

A Middletown man was arraigned Monday on multiple felony charges, including rape, for three alleged assaults in 2019 and 2020.

Taranpreet Singh, 30, of Village Drive, was taken into custody Feb. 19 and charged with two counts of rape, aggravated robbery and kidnapping for sexual assaults reported in August 2020 and September 2019, according to Hamilton police.

Singh also was indicted last week by a Butler County grand jury for rape and kidnapping reported April 2, 2020, in Middletown, according court records and a police report.

A woman reported to Middletown police that she was sexually assaulted at about 9:10 p.m. April 2 at Central Avenue and Carmody Boulevard across from Bicentennial Commons, according to the report.

The indicted charges against Singh are rape, kidnapping and assault for a Sept. 4 to 5, 2019, crime; rape and kidnapping with gun specifications for a Aug 23, 2020, crime; and kidnapping and rape for an April 2, 2020, crime.

Singh appeared in Butler County Common Pleas Court, where Judge Michael Oster set bond at $450,000 cash or surety at the arraignment hearing. Oster ordered that if Singh is released on bond, he must wear a GPS monitor and not be within 1,0000 feet of the victims’ addresses.

Hamilton police Detective Tony Kiep said that Singh picked up the women and then allegedly forced them to engage in sex with him.

“There could be more victims,” Kiep said. “Sometimes people don’t report these crimes right away.”

On Sept. 5, 2019, a woman reported she was offered a ride from Circle K on Pleasant Avenue. She said the man stopped the vehicle on East Avenue and dragged her by the hair into an abandoned building and raped her, according to the report.

In the Aug. 23, 2020, incident, a woman said she was forced into a vehicle on East Avenue, held against her will at gunpoint and sexually assaulted, according to the report.

Kiep said Singh also is a person of interest in similar cases in Middletown.

Middletown police Chief David Birk said that police are investigating Singh in the cases of two woman sexually assaulted last year.

“We have a couple possible victims and we are using their information and evidence,” Birk said.

Middletown police said they are having some difficulty finding alleged victims.

Taranpreet Singh