YOUNGSTOWN Man, 29, faces charge of rape

The woman had been across the street at a birthday party.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Based on a 19-year-old Austintown woman's allegation, Carlos A. Howard, 29, was arrested on a rape charge early today at his North Side apartment.
Police from the city, Youngstown State University and Humility of Mary Health Partners (St. Elizabeth Health Center) surrounded 845 Ohio Ave. about 3:35 a.m. The officers forced their way in through the front door, which was being held shut by a wooden chair propped against it.
Of the three men found inside, Howard was identified by a 20-year-old female friend of the Austintown woman. The friend, who lives on Overlook Avenue, pointed to her car keys, which had been left in the apartment.
Woman's report
The Overlook Avenue woman told police that she and the Austintown woman had been at a birthday party across the street from 845 Ohio before visiting the apartment. The two women decided to take a nap and both fell asleep on a bed at the apartment, reports show.
The rape allegedly took place when the Overlook Avenue woman awoke and went outside to smoke a cigarette, leaving the Austintown woman alone in the bedroom. The Austintown woman told police that she awoke to find Howard on top of her, pulling down her jeans. The woman said Howard left the room, came back and tried to have sex again, but she screamed, reports show.
Afterward, the Austintown woman dressed and went outside to tell her friend, who then called police. The victim, who was placed in a cruiser, identified Howard for police when officers brought him near her.
The victim was taken to Forum Health Northside Medical Center for an examination.
Police collected as evidence a white handkerchief found on the bathroom sink and a multicolored comforter found on the bed where the crime allegedly occurred.