Macon man arrested for kidnapping and sexual assault on Eisenhower Parkway

Deputies say the suspect offered a ride, pulled a gun and attacked the victim before she escaped at a convenience store.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A Macon man has been arrested in connection with a kidnapping and sexual assault that happened on Eisenhower Parkway last week, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

In a news release, the sheriff’s office said it happened just before midnight on Tuesday, July 15. The victim told investigators that a man in a white SUV offered a ride while she was walking near Fulton Mill Road. She said after she declined and continued walking, the man approached from behind, pulled out a gun and fired.

The victim was not hit by gunfire but was physically and sexually assaulted, according to the release. The suspect then drove the victim to a convenience store on Sardis Church Road. The victim escaped and called 911. Deputies say the suspect fled the scene when he couldn’t find her.

Investigators later identified 47-year-old Antonio Eugene Copeland of Macon as the suspect. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division, with help from the Strategic Information Center and U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, arrested Copeland Tuesday morning at his home in Macon.

Copeland is being held in the Bibb County Jail without bond. He is charged with kidnapping and rape.