LINCOLNTON, N.C. — Sept. 29, 2021 update:
Randy Lee Rinck Sr. has been located and arrested, according to Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
Original story from Sept. 24, 2021:
Deputies in Lincoln County are looking for a man convicted of sexual assault who disappeared after the first day of his trial.
Randy Lee Rinck Sr., 61, is wanted on multiple charges, including second-degree forcible sex offense and assault with a deadly weapon in connect with an attack against a woman in mid-February, deputies said.
Lincoln County deputies were called to a home on Barsdale Lane in Lincolnton on Feb. 15, after a woman called 911 and said she was being held against her will.
When deputies got to the home, the victim said she had gone to Rinck's house to visit him. While together, the couple went riding around and Rinck began drinking alcohol started assaulting her. When they returned to the home, the victim said Rinck threatened her with a knife and refused to let her leave. Over the course of the weekend, deputies said Rinck gave the victim two black eyes and sexually assaulted her.
She was able to escape to a neighbor's house and called 911.
Rinck was charged on multiple charges and was found guilty of second-degree forcible sexual assault and assault with a deadly weapon. Despite not appearing in court for the final days of the trial, he was found guilty.
Since that time, officers have not been able to locate Rinck. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office at 704-732-9050. Calls that lead to an arrest could result in a reward.
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