Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Woman on Drive to Maine

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — A man who federal authorities say kidnapped a woman in South Carolina and sexually assaulted her on a drive to Maine has been jailed.

Twenty-five-year-old Dustin Beach was charged Wednesday in federal court with one count of kidnapping and remains in the Androscoggin County Jail.

According to an affidavit, Lewiston police responded to a call July 25 from a woman who reported that she'd been hit with a hammer at a motel. She told officers that Beach offered to take her on an errand in South Carolina, but held her against her will and sexually assaulted her multiple times on the drive to Maine. Beach has denied her report.

Authorities say Beach faces kidnapping and domestic charges in South Carolina for a similar incident. A phone number for Beach did not work.