Merrillville man charged with rape

A Merrillville man was charged with rape after allegedly following a woman back to her apartment from a local bar, according to criminal charges.

Darrick Powell, 52, was charged Nov. 24.

He is being held on $4,000 cash bond, according to court records. His initial hearing is set for Dec. 13 before Magistrate Mark Watson.

The woman told police Powell followed her inside her apartment around 2 a.m. March 17 from a local bar as she told him she was “fine” and that Powell could “go now”. He followed her up the stairs, then went inside and sat on her couch, according to the affidavit.

Powell noticed her prescription drugs and asked if she took all of it. The woman told police she must have tripped and hit her head, and blacked out. She woke up to Powell raping her, according to court documents. She later went to Methodist Hospital.

The woman went to dinner by herself earlier that evening, then to a bar for 3-4 glasses of wine, she said. The woman told police she was “drunk”, but not “drunk drunk”, according to court records. The bartender asked someone to go with her to make sure she got home safely.

Powell said he walked an “older” woman out, then jumped in his truck to follow her home. Her driving was “erratic” and she appeared to nearly swerve into oncoming traffic, he said.

He helped her into her apartment, estimating he stayed “10 to 15 minutes tops”, according to court records. Security footage showed Powell following the woman’s car into the complex, then leaving 37 minutes later, according to the affidavit.