Anthony Welspom
A $100,000 cash only bond was set Thursday for a Little Rock man who allegedly raped and threatened to kill a Pine Bluff woman Tuesday.
Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set the bond after ruling prosecutors had probable cause to charge Anthony Welspom, 53, with rape, kidnapping, aggravated assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Deputy Prosecutor Maxie Kizer said the victim told police she and Welspom had previously dated but she had broken off the relationship.
She also said Welspom began to stalk her, keeping up with where she had been and who she had been seen with, Kizer said.
Detective Bill Wiegand reported that the woman said she was sleeping at about 5 a.m. Tuesday when she heard a knock on her door, and when she opened it, Welspom came inside.
Kizer said Welspom allegedly forced the woman into her bedroom at gunpoint, ordered her to undress, and raped her after putting a pillow over her head and cocking the firearm.
Afterward, the woman ran out of the house where she was seen by a neighbor, who also reported seeing Welspom leaving the house in a car.
Wiegand reported that the woman was taken to Jefferson Regional Medical Center for treatment and for a rape examination.
Kizer said Welspom is a convicted felon, but prosecutors Thursday morning were not able to determine the exact nature of the prior charges.
In addition to setting the bond, Bridgforth ordered Welspom to have no contact with the alleged victim, and to come back to court Oct. 4.
The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Welspom, who turned himself in to police Wednesday afternoon.