Fort Bliss Sgt. Christopher Aaron Rey, 28, was arrested April 12, 2023, after a woman identified him as the man who forced his way into her apartment and attempted to sexually assault her. (El Paso Police Department)
A 28-year-old Fort Bliss sergeant was arrested last week after an El Paso woman identified him as the man who forced his way into her apartment and attempted to sexually assault her, according to local police.
The El Paso Police Department charged Sgt. Christopher Aaron Rey with burglary of a habitation and arrested him April 12. He is due in court Wednesday, according to El Paso County online court records. Fort Bliss officials confirmed Rey is assigned to the Texas Army base, but declined to release his service record.
“The offender attempted to sexually assault the victim but the victim was able to fight off the offender,” police said in a statement about Rey’s arrest.
Police were called to the 1400 block of Avalon Drive at about 8:13 a.m. April 7, where officers met with a 19-year-old woman. She told police that she was leaving her apartment to walk her dog when Rey forced his way inside.
The woman began to scream, and Rey told her to shut up and covered her mouth, according to an arrest affidavit. He moved his hands to her throat, and then pushed her onto a couch in the living room. She told police he removed some of her clothing and began to touch her, while she screamed and kicked. He then stopped and ran out of the apartment.
The woman told police that she had seen Rey the week prior at a laundromat, according to the affidavit. Police reviewed video surveillance footage from the laundromat and a nearby car dealership and found video of Rey and his vehicle, a blue Hyundai Tucson.
Four days after the attempted assault, the woman called police at about 1:55 p.m. Through a doorbell video camera, she could see Rey in his military uniform outside her apartment checking the door knob.
Police arrived at the woman’s apartment and found Rey’s vehicle slowly driving along the street, according to the affidavit. When a police officer approached the vehicle and asked Rey to turn off the car and get out, he drove off at a high rate of speed.
El Paso police then confirmed Rey’s identity through the Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the woman confirmed he was the man who attacked her in a photo lineup.
Police arrested Rey the following day but did not say where he was taken into custody.
