Norman police responding to a call for a welfare check claiming a woman was being held against her will arrested a man on multiple criminal complaints.

Reports say someone called police to ask them to check on a woman the caller believed to be held against her will at a Norman residence, the former site of the Little River Zoo. At approximately 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a woman answered the door at the home and told police she was indeed being held against her will, and that her alleged captor, identified as 37-year-old Larry Dale Rouse, was asleep in another room of the house.

The woman warned police that Rouse was armed, and she told them there were possibly explosives in the house. The woman was removed to a safe location, and the Norman SWAT team responded to the home. 

At approximately 8:15 p.m., Rouse was taken into custody "without incident." Police say they found guns in the house, but no explosives.

Rouse was booked into the Cleveland County Jail on multiple criminal complaints, including kidnapping, first degree rape, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm after prior felony conviction. He remains held on $1,000,000 bond for the kidnapping, rape, and related charges, but he is also held in connection with an Oklahoma County case involving possession of methamphetamine and false personation of another.

Rouse is a convicted sex offender who spent time on the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry for criminal sexual abuse of a victim aged 13-17.

The penalties the defendant faces if convicted are serious, indeed:

  • Kidnapping (21 O.S. § 741) - up to 20 years in prison
  • First degree rape (21 O.S. § 1115) - 5 years to life without parole
  • Use of a firearm while committing a felony (21 O.S. § 1287) - first offense, 2 to 10 years; second or subsequent offense, 10 to 30 years
  • Possession of a firearm after prior felony conviction (21 O.S. § 1284) - 1 to 10 years
  • Meth possession (63 O.S. § 2-402) - first offense, up to 5 years; second offense, up to 10 years; third or subsequent offense, 4 to 15 years
  • False personation - varies depending on the specific charge, but in general, it is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison

If convicted of rape and kidnapping, the defendant will be required to register as a sex offender for life.