Suspect held on $4 million bond for 'brutal' rapes in the UC area in the '90s

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A judge set bond at $4 million for a man accused of raping four women in the UC area in 1995-96. Stoney Brown, 62, was arraigned on 19 counts of rape, kidnapping and aggravated burglary on May 19. Assistant prosecutor Mark Piepmeier said all four crimes were stranger rapes. Brown lived in the area where the women were attacked. Piepmeier said DNA evidence was taken from three victims. The circumstances of the fourth assault were so similar to the other three, they decided to indict him on that one as well. "Every rape is brutal but these were almost sadistic the way the defendant carried these out," said Piepmeier who said Brown held a knife the women's throats, called them names and threatened to kill them. "He did everything he could just to terrorize these women." One of the women was attacked while a two-year-old slept next to her. One of the victims was in court Tuesday. An ancestry DNA database led them to Brown as a possible suspect. Detectives then pulled items out his trash for DNA testing. Additional swabs were taken during his arrest. Brown pleaded not guilty through his attorney. Brown's attorney asked for a reasonable bond. He said Brown worked for the city of Cincinnati as a traffic engineer for 30 years. He retired on January 1. He's since had spinal surgery and walks with a cane. The attorney said Brown was worried he'd lose the ability to walk without going to his physical therapy appointments. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said Brown's only conviction was for voyeurism in 1990. He says people with that type of charge often accelerate their behavior. "He is facing 190 years in prison and he deserves every single day of it."