Man who invaded home says his name is Hillary Clinton

FARMINGTON – A man who invaded a home in Bonne Terre and assaulted two elderly residents Friday afternoon made his first court appearance on those charges Monday afternoon.

Associate Circuit Court Judge Shawn McCarver read Vincent L. Lee, 35, of St. Louis, his charges.

Lee is charged with attempted forcible sodomy, two counts of felonious restraint, one count of first-degree burglary, one count of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault. His bond is set at $250,000.

Lee requested a female public defender but didn’t complete the application form for a public defender. For his name, he wrote that he was not Barack Obama, he was Hillary Clinton and his criminal charge was “being brown.”

According to the probable cause statement, an elderly woman told police that Lee repeatedly rang their doorbell and when she went to answer the door, he forced his way in and knocked her down. She said he said, “don’t worry I’m not gonna rape you.”

Her husband heard the commotion and came upstairs to find Lee on top of the woman, licking and kissing her face. He went to grab Lee but Lee began to assault him.

Lee began to walk to the door as if to leave but stopped when he saw the man trying to call 911. Lee told the man not to dial 911. Lee then repeatedly slammed the door on the woman’s fingers and again shoved her to the floor.

Lee shoved the man to his knees and began choking him. He then began pulling the woman’s pants down but then asked where there car keys were. The husband told him where the keys were.

The husband said Lee suddenly got up and ran out the door without taking the keys or their car.

A mailman told the husband that Lee walked toward Ash Street. Police officers found Lee on Benham Street and arrested him without further incident.

Lee confessed to everything except for trying to pull off the woman’s clothing. He was taken to the county jail.

The woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment of cuts to her hands.

The press release from Bonne Terre Police Department states it appeared Lee had taken a cab from St. Louis to Bonne Terre to stay at a local homeless shelter. Lee told police he only came to Bonne Terre because he had stayed at the shelter once before last year.

The cab dropped him off in town and he attempted to find the shelter on foot.

“He failed to find it, somehow ending up on the front porch of the victim’s home which was on the other side of town from the homeless shelter,” the press release states. The shelter is located on Grove Street.

Lee was arrested for indecent exposure in Farmington on Jan. 9. Farmington Police Chief Rick Baker said officers arrested the man along State Route 221 just off U.S. 67 at 1:40 p.m. following a call to dispatchers stating a male had exposed himself in the county jail lobby and at a nearby restaurant.

Lee had just been released from the jail on a traffic charge and exposed himself as he was leaving. While police were looking for him, they received reports of a man exposing himself at a nearby restaurant.

A witness sitting in the restaurant said the man first stood in a corner of the dining room and fondled himself, at which time the witness’ wife went to notify management. Before they could get out from behind the counter the man reportedly walked across the room and up to a couple sitting at a table who had apparently not seen his earlier activity. The witness said the man repeated his action, at which time the older male sitting at the table began to stand up.

According to the witness, the restaurant’s owner entered the room and immediately began demanding the man leave the restaurant. When the man failed to immediately stop what he was doing, the manager reportedly ushered him out the front door.

By the time police arrived the man had made it across the parking lot and was headed toward a nearby convenience store. Officers took him into custody without further incident and transported him back to the jail where his bond was set at $160.

Teresa Ressel is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 179 or at tressel@dailyjournalonline.com.