Released rapist arrested for alleged sexual battery

A Bloomington man, who served time for rape and was only recently released from prison, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly forcing a woman’s hand down his pants.

Dale A. Wells, 54, served nearly 12 years in prison for raping a 22-year-old woman.
He was accused of the new crime less than a week after his release, Monroe County Deputy Sex Crimes Prosecutor Rebecca Veidlinger said.

“It was around three days,” Veidlinger said.

On Aug. 12, a woman was resting on a couch at Centerstone, a mental illness and addiction center on North Rogers Street, when a man approached her, said Sgt. Jeff Canada of the Bloomington Police Department.

The victim told police the man was complimenting her, but when a volunteer monitoring the room momentarily stepped outside, the man grabbed her hand and put it down his pants.

When the volunteer returned, the man fled, Canada said. The police were called, but nobody at the center was able to identify the suspect.

A few days later, the same man returned to the center, as he was also allegedly seeking treatment there. A volunteer approached him and told him of the allegations, Canada said, and advised him to leave. During the conversation, the man told the volunteer he was on probation.

When the man left, the volunteer called the parole office, and the man was identified as Wells.

He was scheduled for a parole meeting Tuesday and was told to come to the police department. Wells, however, refused to speak with police, and he was arrested for the alleged sexual battery, Canada said.

Wells was previously arrested on June 18, 1998, after a woman told police he raped her twice in one day.

According to the arrest report, Wells told the woman he was a maintenance worker. He invited her to dinner, and the pair went to his apartment. She soon began to feel uncomfortable, she told police, and attempted to leave.

Wells then grabbed her, she said, and threw her into a wall before dragging her into his bedroom. When she tried to scream, he choked her and began raping her.
The report said when she attempted to escape, Wells raped her a second time. He later fell asleep, the victim told police, and she was able to escape.

Wells was arrested the next day. He eventually pleaded guilty to felony rape. The second count of rape and two counts of confinement were dismissed by the plea agreement.

He was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

For the new arrest, the Prosecutor’s Office has asked for Wells to remain in jail on a 72-hour hold, Monroe County Deputy Prosecutor Bob Miller said Wednesday.

Miller said charges will most likely be filed by the end of the week.