Yorktown man charged with rape and confinement after victim escapes

Tyson Brownlee, 39, of Yorktown, was arrested on Thursday after being charged with raping and confining a victim in his home for several days.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Brownlee faces charges including level 3 felony rape, level 6 felony criminal confinement, battery, and interference with the reporting of a crime.

The incident began at a birthday party on Sunday, when the victim observed Brownlee behaving erratically. The victim noted that Brownlee swung between high and low energy, appeared excessively sweaty, and seemed to be under the influence of a narcotic drug.

Tensions rose after the party ended, and by Monday night, Brownlee had begun physically preventing the victim from leaving the residence. Court documents state that he accused the victim of being a witch and struck them whenever they tried to exit. Over the following days, Brownlee kept the victim in a bedroom, and law enforcement later observed bruising on the victim’s body that matched reports of 10 to 15 physical assaults.

The victim was able to escape on Thursday after Brownlee left the house to search for a cell phone he had forgotten at a store. After returning home and finding the device, the victim threw it out the door. When Brownlee went outside to retrieve it, the victim locked all doors and windows, forcing Brownlee to bang on the entrance before the victim reached their car and drove away.

Brownlee was booked into the Delaware County Jail on Thursday. Online court records do not yet list a specific date for his initial appearance.