MCKINNEY, Texas — A 23-year-old man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for attacking a woman at knifepoint along a trail at a park in McKinney, officials said.
Stephon Washington was found guilty by a jury of aggravated robbery, according to a news release Monday from the Collin County District Attorney's Office.
The charged stemmed from an incident on July 10, 2021 at the Towne Lake Park in McKinney.
Officials said a woman was jogging on a trail at the park around 5:30 a.m. when a man approached her from behind and put a knife to her throat. The man then dragged her into a restroom, threw her on the floor and told her to take her shirt off, while demanding money, the release said.
While the assault unfolded, the suspect, identified as Washington, dropped his knife and cut his hand. He then fled and told the victim to "consider yourself lucky," the release said.
Police later connected the DNA from the suspect's blood to Washington. The District Attorney's Office said he was arrested hours after the attack.
During Washington's trial, prosecutors also introduced evidence about two other cases involving Washington, both in Denton County.
Officials said Washington in 2019 assaulted a motel housekeeper at gunpoint. In June 2021, weeks before the McKinney assault, Washington broke into a family's home and "wrapped his arms around the mother," telling her to do as he said, the news release said. But the woman broke free and called 911, and Washington fled, according to officials.
Both of those cases are still pending in Denton County.
After the Collin County jury found Washington guilty in the McKinney case, Judge Rayburn Nall sentenced him to 40 years.
