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Michael Thomas Cates, 28, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on Tuesday, Jan. 7, in connection to the February 2024 rape of a staff member at the Courtyard Marriott on Gettysburg Road in Mechanicsburg, police said.
The assault occurred around 9:20 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2024, when the victim, a hotel employee, told police she had been serving a man later identified as Cates at the hotel bar. He asked her to bring food and drinks to his room, which she did. Cates returned to the bar for another order, and when the victim delivered it to his room, he allegedly pulled her inside by her arm, according to the police release.
“Once inside of the room, the male suspect forced himself upon her and threatened her if she left,” authorities said.
During the investigation, police discovered that Cates used a false name to check into the hotel, and the credit card he provided was declined. Surveillance footage captured images of the suspect, which were compared to arrest photos. The suspect’s physical description—a tall, skinny, light-skinned Black male with freckles—matched previous mugshots of Cates, police said.
The victim later identified Cates through a photo array, confirming him as her attacker.
Cates has a lengthy criminal record, including convictions or guilty pleas for trespass, public drunkenness, marijuana possession, criminal mischief, harassment, speeding, fighting, drug paraphernalia possession, accidents involving damage, robbery, theft, terroristic threats, and firearms offenses, according to court documents.
He was charged with rape - threat of forcible compulsion, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault without consent, terroristic threats with intent to terrorize, and access device fraud. A warrant for his arrest was issued in August 2024, police said.
Cates is now in custody and was remanded to Cumberland County Prison following his arrest. The details of the case were shared in a police release on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
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