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Suspect in Norwood Rape Arrested and Charged

Ugan Smith

Police have arrested a registered sex offender accused of raping a 64-year-old woman after following her across Norwood.

Ugan Smith (below), 40, was arrested on Jan. 11, a day after police say he stalked the victim, following her to her apartment in the area of East Gun Hill Road and DeKalb Avenue at around 6:45 p.m. Smith, who lives in transitional housing managed by the Bronx Psychiatric Center, followed her all the way to her apartment, pushed her in it, and brutally raped her before saying, “I have a gun, and I am going to kill you and have sex with you,” police say.

He then stole $250 before fleeing. The victim was taken to a local hospital. The NYPD’s Special Victims Unit investigated and caught the suspect. Smith was caught on video, with images circulating in the press.

He was charged with rape, robbery and burglary. He’s been held on $250,000 bond. Smith has a history of sex-related incidents, requiring him to register as a sex offender. He moved to the transitional home on March 1 from the nearby psychiatric center.

The incident ranks as the first reported rape that happened with the confines of the 52nd Precinct. Last year, there were a reported total number of 27 rapes, down from 28 in 2016.

 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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