Crime & Safety

Sarasota Real Estate Agent Charged in Woman's Brutal Rape

The victim said that while he was raping her, he spit on her and called her weak, according to the arrest report.

A real estate agent was arrested Wednesday in connection with a brutal rape that occurred on the afternoon of July 15 in Sarasota, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Gregory Sarajew, 51, 2800 block of Grafton St., Sarasota, was charged with false imprisonment of adult and sexual assault using physical force after he allegedly offered the 27-year-old victim a ride home, then took her to his apartment, dragging her from his U-haul pickup truck by the hair and forcing her to have sex with him.

The victim said she was outside the 7-Eleven, 4779 Swift Rd., around 4:30 p.m. when she met the unknown male; he reportedly bought her alcohol and offered her a ride home. However, the man, later identified as Sarajew, drove her to his efficiency-sized apartment instead, where he dragged her inside, according to the report.

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Once inside, he allegedly punched her in the head, forced her onto the bed and raped her, the report states. The victim told authorities that he spit on her and told her “you’re weak.”

After the rape occurred, he reportedly dropped the victim off in the area between Beneva and Clark roads. She immediately went home, telling her roommates what had occurred but she didn’t call 911 out of concern that she would go to jail for an outstanding arrest warrant, the report said.

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The victim was arrested Sunday, that’s when she told deputies what had happened. She was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where a physical examination further demonstrated her account of what had occurred, the report states.

SCSO detectives were able to tie Sarajew’s identity to the U-haul and confirm the connection with several witness statements. The victim later identified Sarajew from a photo lineup.

On July 24, detectives searched Sarajew’s apartment and found human blood on the mattress, the report said.

He was arrested Wednesday and taken to Sarasota County Jail, where he is being held without bond. 

Sarajew is a former employee of Michael Saunders and Company realty, and is listed on his Linkedin website, as an alumni of Kean University in New Jersey.  

Tom Heatherman, a spokesperson for the company said he has not worked with Michael Saunders since February of 2012 and was only "here at the company for less than a year." 

On Sarajew's arrest report, he is listed as a "self-employed realtor," however, his license is listed as "inactive" on the Florida Department of Business Regulation website, but it does not expire until September 30, 2013. 

An image Sarajew shared on his Facebook page on May 25 says, "Life is like an hourglass, eventually everything hits the bottom and all you have to do is wait until someone comes along to turn it around."


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