Newport man charged with kidnapping neighbor with intent to rape her

A Newport Beach man is accused of breaking into a neighbor’s home and kidnapping her with the intent of raping her.

Nicholas Michael Papson, 25, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of aggravated assault, burglary, resisting a police officer, kidnapping and kidnapping to commit rape. He remained in jail with bail set at $1 million, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Department records. The Orange County district attorney’s office filed the charges Friday.

According to authorities, the attack started at about 5 p.m. Wednesday when a man pushed his way into an apartment in the 1800 block of Sherington Place.

The man punched the woman who lives there and hit her with a heavy glass-encased candle that was in the apartment, said Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella. He then dragged the woman the length of the apartment to a balcony, where he forced her outside, according to police.

“After a struggle on the balcony, the resident was able to break away from the suspect and call 911 on her cellphone,” Manzella said.

The man ran from the apartment with the woman’s car keys, which he had taken from the kitchen counter, according to authorities.

Police said they found Papson on 16th Street, chased him on foot and arrested him while he struggled to get away.

Papson and the woman, who is in her 30s, had spoken before but didn’t know each other well, Manzella said.

Though the woman wasn’t taken from her apartment, police believe that trying to confine her on the balcony was enough to justify a kidnapping charge, Manzella said.