Man arrested for fourth rape allegation

Released from prison in Januar y

More information has come to light regarding the criminal history of a registered sex-offender who was arrested last week after allegedly raping a woman earlier that day on April 18, just three months after his release from prison. The man met the victim at the park and ride on Smallwood Drive, convinced her to follow him, and led her to a secluded trail in the woods before he allegedly attacked.

Edward Eugene Coates, 36, of Marbury was held without bond after bail review. This is at least the fourth rape allegation Coates has faced in Maryland, according to court records. At age 16, he was charged with second-degree rape in Calvert County in 1996, and twice in 2007 — first in Montgomery County and then in Charles County.

Initially charged as an adult in March 1997, his case was transferred to juvenile court, and the outcome of that case is confidential, according to a court clerk.

In the 2007 Montgomery County case, he pled down to a third-degree sex offense which resulted in a 10 year sentence, all but three years suspended.

Eventually, Coates was extradited to Charles County and entered a guilty plea in 2010 for a third-degree sex offense. Circuit Court Judge Steven Chappelle sentenced him to eight years, with all but five years suspended, according to a court clerk.

Coates, who had been in custody since Sept. 9, 2007, was imprisoned for about five years until he was discharged on mandatory supervised release on Oct. 25, 2012, according to the Maryland Parole Commission. He had been denied parole upon review, but Coates had accumulated enough diminution credits for an early release.

In March 2014, Charles County Crime Solvers offered a cash reward up to $1,000 for information leading to the whereabouts of Coates who was wanted on a warrant for violating probation. He was apprehended a few days later after police received a tip from someone who spotted him in Calvert County.

For the violation of probation, Coates appeared before Charles County Administrative Judge Amy Bragunier who reactivated the remainder of his prison term, about 22 months. After his sentence expired, he was released from Patuxent Institution on Jan. 14, 2016, according to the Maryland Parole Commission.

Bragunier ordered him to report to his probation officer within 48 hours after release, to reside only with his mother at the address on record, and to take his prescribed medication, court records indicate.

About three months after his release, he faces rape allegations again.

The victim in the most recent case had seen Coates several times at the bus stop before April 18. The two would exchange “hellos” as they passed by, but never had a conversation.

Around 4:02 p.m. on April 18, the alleged victim called the Charles County Sheriff’s Office to report the rape. An officer apprehended Coates in the area shortly thereafter and the victim positively identified him as her assailant, police records show.

According to the victim, after talking with Coates at the park and ride, she agreed to follow him to his house to hang out. Coates told detectives he had bought K-2, a synthetic marijuana, from someone at the park and ride and the two left together, court records indicate.

Coates led her down a trail in a wooded area, the victim said, and began making sexual comments that made her uncomfortable, charging documents state. He then reportedly pulled out a metal nail file and demanded to have sex with her. She began fighting with him and started choking him on the ground, but he was able to overpower her, the victim told detectives. She said he also threatened that he had a gun.

According to the victim, Coates told her that “he smoked a ‘dipper,’ used heroin and smoked crack” earlier that day, the statement of charges indicate.

When questioned by detectives, Coates said he is “schizophrenic, bi-polar and is on medications to prevent him from thinking about ‘sex,’” charging documents state.

The recent allegations are similar to what the victim from the 2007 incident described.

On June 18, 2007, a woman was at the park and ride on Smallwood Drive when Coates approached her and asked to use her cell phone. She allowed him to make a call, and afterwards, he asked if she had a boyfriend and asked his name.

She told him, and he said he knew where her boyfriend was and convinced her to follow him.

Coates led the victim to a secluded foot path in the woods and began to attack her, grabbing her by the neck and holding up his fist as if to punch her.

The victim complied in fear.

Afterward, she reported the incident to police and went to the hospital where a sexual assault nurse examination was conducted. The samples taken from the victim where submitted to the Maryland State Police Crime Lab and resulted in a positive match to the known DNA-profile of Coates, charging documents indicate.

By the time the DNA test results came back, Coates was already in custody in Montgomery County, charged with second-degree rape in a different case.

In the end, Coates pled down to a third-degree sex offense in both cases, spent about five years incarcerated before being released, only to return two years later for another 22 months.

Now in custody again, held without bond, Coates awaits a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 18, per court records.