A Fort Carson soldier from North Carolina accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman at a Colorado Springs park purportedly confessed to the crime during an interview with a detective, court documents reveal. 

Caden Meade, 19, was arrested Wednesday after allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a 29-year-old woman at Quail Lake Park in the early morning hours of July 8.

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The woman was with a friend until she was kidnapped after heading back to her car then raped at knife point in a pickup truck before being let go, investigators from the Colorado Springs Police Department said during a Thursday press conference.

The friend told police they were at the lake for about an hour and had noticed a dark truck pass through the north parking lot about 20 minutes after they arrived, according to Meade’s arrest affidavit. 

The woman reportedly went back to her car, and the friend said he heard a “blood-curdling” scream come from where she was parked. He rushed to the parking lot and saw a dark truck leaving the area at a “high rate of speed,” as well as car keys and a jacket lying on the ground, the friend told police.

After being let go, the woman called police at a nearby hotel, where she told them she had been kidnapped by an unknown man. She was taken to a nearby hospital shortly after to receive treatment for a large-sized bump on her head. The woman also had noticeable abrasions and bruising on her left shin and knee and lacerations on one of her thumbs.

When she was initially kidnapped, the man had told her to stay quiet if she wanted to stay alive while pointing a knife at her, the woman told police. He then drove off, telling the woman “this will only take 30 minutes.”

Before the rape, the man had asked her if she was a “whore” and if she was Christian, according to the affidavit. The woman said she initially told the man she was Christian, at which point the man demanded she take her clothes off. She then told the man that she had lied, and the man said it did not matter then the alleged rape ensued.

When she asked why she was picked, he said she just “got picked” and it was “natural selection,” according to the affidavit. 

At some point, the woman asked if she could leave, and the man stopped the truck to let her go.

Fort Carson soldier accused of kidnapping, sexual assault at Quail Lake Park

Police identified the truck as Meade’s through surveillance footage that showed his North Carolina license plate. The truck had reportedly broken down and was found near two fast-food restaurants located on the Fort Carson Army post. 

Officials from the Fort Carson Army Criminal Investigation Division told investigators that Meade had scanned into the base hours after the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault.

Footage from cameras near the park and DNA evidence found by investigators was enough to bring Meade in for questioning.

Meade told a detective during an interview that he spent the day with his parents, who were in town from North Carolina for July Fourth, according to the affidavit. The family had dinner then went back to a hotel at a Holiday Inn Express near the Colorado Springs Airport, which is about 8 miles from Quail Lake Park.

Meade told the detective that he had immediately went to sleep, but later confessed to the kidnapping and sexual assault after being presented with evidence that his truck was spotted near the park, according to the affidavit. Meade then detailed the assault. 

Meade was reportedly driving around in the days leading up to and after the incident, exhibiting behaviors that investigators said were “suspicious” during the press conference.

The affidavit states Meade had been driving around places his vehicle had never been to since June 16 until his eventual arrest. It also notes Meade drove around Memorial and Palmer parks on July 1 during the afternoon and close to midnight.

The activities have led police to believe there could be other potential victims, investigators said during the press conference. 

Meade is being held in the El Paso County jail on a $500,000 bond. He is expected in court for his first appearance on July 25.

Anyone with information of the incident or any additional victims are encouraged to call police at 719-444-7000.

Alleged arsonist was arrested in February after a similar spree in Colorado Springs