Man accused of posing as cop, then raping woman, pleads guilty

Gideon Charles Arrington, accused of abducting and raping a woman in Fridley last fall after telling her he was a detective, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault.

Then he rescinded his plea.

And then he changed his mind again, agreeing to a prison sentence that could reach 27 years.

It was the latest chapter of a bizarre tale in which, authorities say, Arrington lured his victim by saying he was a detective, handcuffed and bound her in duct tape and raped her repeatedly, making the blindfolded woman bathe in a bleach solution after each sexual assault. He then washed her clothes. When Arrington finally removed the duct tape and released the woman, he gave her $2 and told her to take a bus and not say a word, or he'd kill her, prosecutor Wade Kish told the Anoka County court on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Arrington, 36, of Brooklyn Park, planned to act as his own legal counsel. On Monday, he asked Jill Brisbois, who had been called by the court to serve as his adviser, to be his lawyer.

Thursday morning, Arrington slouched and listened impassively as Brisbois explained that he would serve between 12 and 27 years with his guilty plea. Had he been convicted of three charges of felony rape and kidnapping, he could have been given a 33-year sentence.

Then he was asked by Judge Dyanna Street if he understood the plea bargain to which he had agreed.

Now, through tears, he told the judge, "I want to fight this, man."

The judge replied, "I think that's what we'd better do." She then called a recess.

But after the recess, he told the judge, "I'm going to go with the plea, your honor."

Brisbois said the lure of a possible 12-year sentence persuaded Arrington to stick with his guilty plea. Kish said he had planned to call as many as 18 witnesses, had the trial proceeded. Among them was the 32-year-old victim, said County Attorney Tony Palumbo.

Arrington was arrested Dec. 10. Authorities said at the time that DNA analysis found a match in a convicted-felon national database. They said that led to the arrest.