COLUMBUS — A 33-year-old man was arrested in Columbus after he was accused of breaking into two women’s homes and attempting to rape them.
Rovan Spears is facing charges of attempted rape and aggravated burglary following the incidents that occurred on Jan. 9, according to our news partner, WBNS.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
- Good Samaritan responds after homeowner charged in connection with house fire, explosion in Piqua
- 3 dead following house fire in Ohio
- 30-year-old man dead after crash on I-75 ramp in Montgomery County
In the area of Hard Road and Sawmill Road, Spears had been attempting to enter homes in the neighborhood for weeks before he was arrested.
One incident happened around 3 a.m. when a family woke up to find Spears in their home.
The doorbell camera footage shows the suspect trying to enter their home through the front door, but was unsuccessful. He then went around the house and entered through an unlocked door back door.
“He was actually in our kitchen from motion sensors and cameras that we have for approximately 25 to 30 minutes,” said one victim, who asked not to be identified.
Spears had then made his way upstairs into the victim’s bedroom, where she was sleeping next to her husband. Spears then allegedly attempted to touch the victim inappropriately, according to court documents.
“I woke to him just touching my back,” the victim said. “To just wake up to somebody standing over top of you is... crazy.”
The victim alerted her husband of the intruder. Spears fled the scene and reportedly stole the victim’s husband’s wallet on his way out of the house.
The victim’s husband tried to chase Spears, but he got away, said the victim.
The children of the couple were in the house during the time of the incident. Their young daughter was sleeping in an adjacent room, while their son, who was home from college, was sleeping in the basement.
“You just want to provide a safe home, and you think you do that, I thought I did that from where we are,” the victim said.
Spears allegedly broke into another home several streets away and attempted to rape a woman there, before this incident, according to court documents.
After the victim posted on social media, neighbors in the area began sharing doorbell footage to the police.
“There was a lot of footage, a lot of footage all over the neighborhood,” the victim said. “Even in the video footage from all over the neighborhood — if he tries and can’t get in, he moves on, but if he could get in, he did go in.”
The collaborative efforts from the community helped investigators to track down Spears within a week of the incidents.
“I think they could map his entire route home from here because every yard he was in had a camera and every yard he was in caught him,” the victim said.
The family has updated their security measures since the incident and has urged others to lock their doors.
“Even if you think you’re in a place that is considered a good neighborhood or a good part of town, you never know who could be out there or what they could be doing,” she said.
Columbus Police are still investigating and are actively seeking information on this case.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
