STATEN ISLAND — A man arrested last month for sexually assaulting two woman and a teenage girl within an hour also groped another woman at a bus stop a month earlier, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Taylor Hawkins, 27, of New Brighton, groped the woman on Aug. 26 at about 6:45 a.m. as she waited for a bus at North Burgher and Elm Street, according to his indictment.
A month later, Hawkins tried to rape three women and attacked two others ranging in age from 14 to 64 years old near bus stops in Tompkinsville, Clifton, Randall Manor and West Brighton, prosecutors said.
Hawkins was hit with a 36-count indictment Wednesday for the attacks and charged with criminal sexual act, attempted rape, sexual abuse, strangulation, assault, sexual misconduct, forcible touching, criminal obstruction of breathing, attempted grand larceny and endangering the welfare of a child, District Attorney Michael McMahon said.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday and his bail was set at $750,000 bond, $500,000 cash, court records show. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"This office takes the allegations of these heinous crimes very serious," McMahon said in a statement. "We will vigorously prosecute this case and work to ensure that the people of Staten Island stay safe from dangerous predators."
Hawkins started his daylong spree of attacks on Sept. 10 at about 2:35 a.m., when he tried to steal a woman's purse near Young and Targee streets before punching and slapping her in the face, authorities said.
He then grabbed a 50-year-old woman around her neck at about 5:30 a.m. in front of 103 St. Paul's Ave., dragged her to the ground, choked and groped her, according to his criminal complaint. The woman screamed and Hawkins fled on foot, police said.
Hawkins went to Henderson and Kissel avenues at about 6:20 a.m., where he slapped a 64-year-old woman in the face as she was getting off an MTA bus before fleeing, authorities said.
He approached a 42-year-old woman eight minutes later while she was waiting for a bus at Castleton Avenue and Hunter Place, threw her to the ground, groped her and told her, "I'm going to rape you" while on top of her, prosecutors said. A passerby yelled out to Hawkins, who then punched the victim in the face and fled.
In the last incident, Hawkins drove in a black SUV to Castleton Avenue and Havenwood at about 6:30 a.m. and attacked a 14-year-old girl.
He punched her in the face, choked her, and then groped and tried to rape her before she managed to bite him, causing him to run away, authorities said.
All four victims were taken to Richmond University Medical Center, police said.
Hawkins was arrested later that night, and officers knew they had the right person because he had a bandage where she bit him, the New York Daily News reported.
