Stafford vape store employee tried to sexually assault a woman at gunpoint, cops say

A Stafford County man is in jail without bond after he allegedly tried to rape a woman at gunpoint in a vape store on Friday night, according to the sheriff’s office.

The victim was alone in the store on Garrisonville Road around closing time when an East Coast Vapers employee allegedly held a gun to her head and tried to sexually assault her.

She was able to escape the man, and contacted the sheriff’s office.

Deputies responded to the scene around 8:37 p.m. and made contact with the 27-year-old woman before arresting 31-year-old Charles Henry Austin III.

Austin was arrested and jailed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

He has been charged with:
-    Attempted rape
-    Use of a firearm in a commission of a felony
-    Abduction
-    Aggravated sexual battery
-    Brandishing a firearm
-    Assault and battery