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Man arrested in alleged rape apologizes to victim

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A man arrested for rape Tuesday night is apologizing to his alleged victim.

Police told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri when they took James Ramsey III into custody he confessed to that rape and burglary.

Ramsey told investigators he wanted to write a letter to say sorry to the woman he allegedly attacked in her own home.

Ramsey lowered his head as Clayton County police escorted him to a waiting patrol car to take him to the Clayton County Jail Tuesday night.

"Investigators say you wrote an apology letter to the victim. What would you like to say to her tonight?" Viteri asked Ramsey.

"Sorry for what happened," Ramsey said.

"Anything else?" Viteri asked.

"I didn't mean to do that. I didn't mean to hurt her," Ramsey said.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Unit tracked Ramsey to southwest Atlanta Tuesday and took him into custody.

Police said just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, the 25-year-old broke into a home on Sycamore Drive, raped a woman and burglarized the home.

"We believe he's starting out with the intentions of committing the rape," Maj. Johnny Robinson with the Clayton County Police Department said.

Robinson said Ramsey admitted to the crimes and investigators believe rape, not burglary, was his primary motive.

"Is he choosing victims or just kind of seeing if a female lives in the home?" Viteri asked Robinson.

"At this point he didn't indicate any information pertaining to that, but we believe he may actually have watched his victim for a short period of time," Robinson said.

Ramsey asked police if he could write an apology letter to the victim, which investigators said she will have an opportunity to read if she wants.

"I said I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't mean to hurt her. I hope she forgives me," Ramsey said as he was being taken into the Clayton County Jail.

Investigators said Ramsey could be tied to similar unsolved rapes.

"We're looking at that basically to see if he does tie in to other rapes, so at this point he is a suspect in other rapes," Robinson said.

Ramsey is charged with rape, burglary, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and robbery.

Police said they want this arrest to send a message to anyone who commits a crime in Clayton County that they will work around the clock until they have that person in custody.