A 22-year-old Georgia man who has been staying in Centralia has been arrested in connection with two residential burglaries and an unrelated aggravated criminal sexual assault. James Wooten was taken to the Marion County Jail pending a final decision on charges.
He’s accused of sexually assaulting a Centralia woman after he flagged her down on Saturday and she agreed to give him a ride to where he was staying on Martin Luther King Drive. After agreeing to go briefly into the home, Wooten is accused of choking her and forcing her to have sex. She eventually convinced Wooten to let her use the bathroom when she ran to the nearby Eastside Casey’s store to report the incident. The alleged victim was crying and wearing no pants or shoes. She was taken to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment. Wooten was also arrested for unlawful restraint and aggravated battery in connection with that incident.
Wooten has also been arrested for allegedly entering two homes. On April 9th, he’s accused of entering a home on East Rexford Street and taking two guns. Wooten was identified as a suspect because he had been at the home the day before. On April 19th, Centralia Police received a complaint of an unwanted man being in a residence on Holly Street while armed with a gun. Wooten allegedly ran out the door when police arrived. A gun was later found in the home by police that was one of those reported stolen from the home on East Rexford. A man believed to be Wooten then later allegedly re-entered the Holly Street home and allegedly stole a gaming system and a phone.
Wooten was taken into custody on Sunday after Centralia Police was called to a disturbance in the bathroom at the east side Casey’s Store. He allegedly swallowed a number of drugs when police arrived and was treated at St. Mary’s Hospital before being taken to the Marion County Jail.
