A St. Thomas man is under arrest for allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, violently raping her, cutting off her hair, and biting her nose, police said Monday.
Police said Brian Griffin Mendoza’s girlfriend broke up with him Jan. 5 when she discovered he had been sleeping around. At around 1:45 a.m. Jan. 11, Griffin came to his ex’s door pleading to talk, according to court documents. Letting Griffin inside to avoid waking her roommate, the victim said she wanted nothing further to do with him. When she rebuffed his attempt at a kiss, Griffin allegedly pushed her onto a bed and forcibly raped her. The victim said as she kicked Griffen restrained her wrists with one hand and covered her mouth with the other.
She somehow got a pair of scissors but was unable to bring herself to stab Griffin, she told police, instead cutting his hair in hopes it would stop him. It did not, according to court records.
After the alleged rape, Griffen left but returned at 9 a.m. He had checked in at work in Drake’s Passage but asked permission to leave soon after to “take care of something,” according to court filings.
Griffin allegedly called out to the victim to open her door. When she told him to leave, he began breaking glass and removing louvers to gain entry. He hastened his efforts when he saw her calling 911, eventually wresting the phone away from her and ending the call, according to police.
He pushed her into the bedroom and straddled the victim, pinning her arms back with his knees. Now Griffin began cutting the woman’s hair. Powerless against the much larger assailant, the victim said she bit him. This gave her a chance to run, but she was soon caught and swung by what remained of her hair into a chair. As they fought, Griffin bit her on the nose, causing a laceration that bled heavily. Seeing the blood, Griffin fled, she said.
Police arrived to find broken glass, blood, haphazardly cut hair, and the victim bleeding through a bandage on her nose, according to court records. They also found three of the victim’s automobile tires had been flattened.
At 1:20 p.m., Griffin surrendered to police at his place of employment in the area of Drake’s Passage along Main Street.
Griffin was charged with unlawful sexual contact, rape, false imprisonment, burglary, home invasion, assault, maliciously interfering with emergency communications, and disturbing the peace.
