Rape case brings Craigslist under renewed scrutiny in N.C.

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (AP) — Craigs- list is again under scrutiny after a North Carolina man was charged with using the popular online classified site to fulfill his own fantasy by finding someone to rape his wife at knife point while he watched.

The woman said Thursday she has been “traumatized” by the attack, which she did not know about ahead of time. It happened a month after Craigslist agreed to overhaul its policing of sex ads in the wake of a slaying in Massachusetts.

“You don’t know what I’m going through,” she said, shaking her head as she stood on her front porch. “This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

The woman spoke to The Associated Press a day after her husband was ordered held on $200,000 bond on charges including first-degree rape. The AP, which generally does not identify victims of sexual assault, is not identifying the man to protect his wife.

Police in Kannapolis, about 25 miles northeast of Charlotte, said the husband told them he found his wife’s attacker by responding to at least two personal ads on Craigslist and acknowledged that she didn’t know about it. They couldn’t say if the attacker was paid.

Experts say the case is likely to lead to more questions for Craigs- list, which has faced criticism for its “erotic services” section.

Police have said Craigslist is helping with its investigation.