A Springfield man has been charged with sexually assaulting one woman and attempting to sexually assault another during a span of less than two weeks in July, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park and Springfield Police Chief John Cook jointly announced Saturday.
Authorities said Tarik Gourdine, 22, of Rosewood Avenue is charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree robbery, two related weapons offenses, and third-degree criminal restraint in connection with an incident that took place on July 8, 2016, plus second-degree attempted aggravated sexual assault, two related weapons offenses, and third-degree criminal restraint in connection with an incident that took place on July 21, 2016.
An investigation initiated by the Springfield Police Department and later supported by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Victims Unit revealed that Gourdine allegedly sexually assaulted a woman, threatening her with a handgun and a knife, and stole her cell phone during the first incident, which took place in the mechanical room of an apartment building. In the second incident, he is alleged to have attempted to sexually assault a different woman at knifepoint in her vehicle before she managed to escape and flee the scene according to authorities.
Neither woman knew their alleged attacker prior to the days on which these incidents took place.
Gourdine was arrested following a traffic stop Friday afternoon and lodged in Union County Jail on $550,000 bail authorities said.
He is expected to make his first appearance in court during the coming days.
These matters remain under investigation, and anyone with additional information about Gourdine’s activities is being urged to contact Springfield Police Detective Ziegler at 973-912-2250 or Detective Estevez at 973-912-2241.