Frank Polanco-Batista, 28, hid in the women's restroom at the Roosevelt Ballroom at approximately 2 a.m. on August 24, 2014. When a female victim entered the bathroom, Polanco-Batista assaulted her and attempted to rape her; tearing her clothes and undergarments. He ran off when someone else came in, the district attorney said.
Around three hours later at approximately 5:20 a.m., police officers from the Yonkers Police Department responded to the scene of a reported robbery on South Broadway.
The victim told police that she was in the parking lot next to the White Castle calling a taxi when an unknown male, later learned to be the defendant, approached her from behind, stood in front of her, and grabbed her iPhone out of her hand. After demanding her phone back, Polanco-Batista forced his hand down her shirt and groped her, the district attorney said.
Polanco-Batista was tracked down by authorities near Highland Avenue. He was later linked to the first attack by DNA samples found under the victim's fingernails, the district attorney said.
Polanco-Batista was charged with first-degree attempted rape, first-degree attempted sexual abuse, first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree robbery, fourth-degree grand larceny and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation.
Polanco-Batista will be sentenced on Aug. 5. He faces a maximum of 22 years in prison, the district attorney said.
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