POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 24-year-old man faces kidnapping and sexual assault charges after a 77-year-old woman was attacked inside her home early Saturday morning, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Axel Antonio Espinal Herrera was taken into custody after detectives canvassing the neighborhood located him at a nearby residence, authorities said.

Deputies said the incident happened around 4 a.m. on Aug. 29. The woman told investigators she woke up to a noise inside her house before an unknown man walked into her bedroom, forcibly stripped off her clothes, and sexually assaulted her. When she tried to break free, the attacker slapped her.

The woman attempted to flee when the man stepped into the bathroom, running toward the front door. Investigators said the man ran after her, dragged her back into the home, and choked her before eventually running off. The victim then called law enforcement.

Detectives searched the surrounding neighborhood for leads and stopped at a nearby home. While speaking with two people there, a third man was in the shower. When detectives questioned that man, they realized he matched the victim’s physical description of the suspect, authorities said.

Investigators identified the man as Espinal Herrera. Inside the home, deputies found clothing that matched what the victim reported her attacker was wearing.

Espinal Herrera initially talked with detectives but stopped answering questions shortly into the interview, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators then obtained a search warrant to take photographs and collect DNA swabs. During that exam, detectives found multiple fresh scratches on his body that they said aligned with the victim’s account of fighting back.

Deputies said they also found cocaine in Espinal Herrera’s possession. The victim later picked out Espinal Herrera from a photographic lineup, identifying him as the assailant.

Espinal Herrera was booked into the Sheriff’s Processing Center. He faces charges of kidnapping, sexual battery by force, burglary with battery, tampering with evidence, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and loitering or prowling.

The sheriff’s office stated Espinal Herrera is a Honduran national residing in the country without legal status, which led authorities to enhance several of the charges by one degree under Florida statute. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified and issued a detainer for him.

Authorities said the two other men living at the residence were also Honduran nationals living in the United States illegally. Both were taken into custody on ICE holds.