LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — A 48-year-old registered sex offender is behind bars in Palm Beach County after deputies say he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman at knifepoint in Lake Worth Beach.
Investigators with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office believe there could be additional victims.
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According to an arrest affidavit, the victim initially left her home early in the morning to walk to a nearby Walgreens for medicine because she was suffering from a sore throat and fever. Realizing the walk was too far, she turned back.
Deputies say she then encountered Verwayne Alexander, who was driving a gray 2019 Chevrolet Trax. Alexander approached the woman asking for directions before threatening her with a knife and forcing her into the vehicle.
Alexander drove about two blocks before stopping near railroad tracks along South East Coast Street, where the victim was sexually battered in an industrial area, according to the affidavit.
Investigators say the woman escaped and ran to a nearby business, Quality Collisions, for help. Employee Eddie Hall called 911.
“She ran up to the door screaming help me, help me, call 911, he’s trying to kill me,” Hall said.
“In this neighborhood that yelling and screaming is like a normal thing, it’s like birds chirping, unless you’re seeing it, you really don’t pay attention to it,” Hall said.
“I’ve never seen anybody that scared in my life… she was literally terrified for her life,” Hall said.
According to arrest reports, investigators believe this was not Alexander’s first victim. Authorities confirmed he is a registered sex offender with a prior history of kidnapping and sexual battery involving a weapon.
Just days before this incident, the Delray Beach Police Department was searching for Alexander on warrants tied to four separate indecent exposure cases. Detectives say the pattern in those cases appears similar, with the suspect targeting women, asking for directions, and then escalating the encounter.
“I’m glad they found the guy, I really am,” Hall said.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
