19-year-old arrested in sex attack, shooting in Kissimmee

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A 19-year-old man was arrested in Kissimmee on allegations of attempting to rape an 18-year-old woman before shooting her.

[VIDEO:  News 6 reporter Erica Rakow's initial report]

Isaiah Joshua Milton Joseph Watts was arrested Thursday on charges of attempted murder, false imprisonment, kidnapping and sexual battery after he was identified as the man in surveillance video by his roommates. 

Watts was taken to the Osceola County Jail and was being held on no bond

Police said Watts shot the woman during the struggle late Tuesday behind the Sedano's in a strip mall near John Young Parkway and Vine Street in Kissimmee.

According to police, the woman was inside the Best Laundromat at 1308 N. John Young Parkway around 11:30 p.m. when a man, later identified as Watts, carrying a gun entered the business.

Watts forced the woman to exit the back of the business and walked her to a nearby location, where he attempted to sexually batter her, police said. The woman resisted and Watts shot her twice in the face, according to police. 

"What kind of person does that," said Dale Johnson, who lives next door to Watts. "I really don't know what to say to that. I got kids, man. That's crazy."

Kissimmee police said the woman was able to escape and was taken to a hospital in stable condition.  

While canvassing the area, looking for Watts, officer found blood on the door of a nearby home. At first, the people living their didn't know how it got there, that is until they saw the surveillance video and knew right away it was their roommate.

Police say they confronted Watts at an apartment complex nearby, and when police got there, they took him in for questioning. 

"It was very heinous," said Stacie Miller with Kissimmee police. "We are very thankful that his friends called us and we were able to get him off the street."

The laundromat is open 24 hours a day and customers said that makes it a target.

"I think the laundromat should be closed during the night," said Bianca Cedillo, who uses the laundromat only during the day. "I understand there's a lot of them open 24 hours but they should have a time period to close the laundry."

Customers tell us the laundromat is usually staffed during the day but not at night. There is no security in the strip mall.

"It's a target for anyone to come in and do whatever they want to do," said Cedillo. "That's horrible. It should be closed at night."

The teenage victim is expected to recover. She just moved to the area 6 weeks ago, and had never met Watts before, police said.  

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