Police: Man raped woman trapped in his apartment

Attacker wanted for other crimes

An accused rapist remains in jail in La Crosse after getting charged Tuesday with a long list of crimes.

Police say 39-year-old Eddie Thomas kept a woman prisoner in his apartment on 10th Street in La Crosse and raped her for up to an hour and a half during an afternoon in March. 

The woman had known Thomas for a few months, after meeting at the Salvation Army. She had been to his apartment several times in the past, according to police, and asked to go to his place to charge her cell phone.

The woman said Thomas was drinking heavily before he assaulted her. She said he downed about a third of a bottle of vodka while they were watching television together.

At some point, he demanded that the victim take off her clothes. When she refused, he wrestled her to the floor and removed her pants.

Throughout the rape, Thomas apparently threatened repeatedly to kill the woman if she told anyone.

The attack only stopped when Thomas’ roommate knocked on the apartment’s door, at which point, Thomas apparently threw the victim’s clothes at her and told her to get out.

The woman managed to make it to the Warming Center, where friends talked her into not reporting the attack. She did go to the hospital the next day.

Police used a search warrant to gather evidence from the apartment when Thomas wasn’t there. They gathered some dirty clothes and a blanket and left a copy of the search warrant behind.

Thomas faces charges for the attack but he’s also wanted for crimes committed in Minnesota.