Meeting Street man charged in attempted sexual assault

Charleston police arrested a registered sex offender for the second time in just over a month Thursday in connection with an attempted sexual assault that happened on King Street in April.

Police spokesman Charles Francis said Nathaniel Wilson, 47, of Meeting Street attacked a woman from behind as she walked from a friend’s home on Line Street toward another friend’s home on Huger Street about 5 a.m. April 28.

The woman told police a man grabbed her around the neck and choked her until she was unconscious. The woman regained consciousness, fought off the man and ran toward King Street, Francis said.

The man chased her, shoved her to the ground and kicked her, Francis said. She fought him off again, and ran toward King Street where a passing motorist helped her to safety.

Police charged Wilson with assault with the intent to commit criminal sexual conduct following the incident, Francis said.

Police also arrested and charged Wilson with third-degree criminal sexual conduct on Aug. 2 after a woman said he fondled her multiple times over a four hour period.

That incident began when a man approached the 28-year-old Mount Pleasant woman as she left a bar on King Street between 12:30 and 1 a.m. after a night out with friends, a Charleston Police Department incident report states.

The woman told police she was headed toward her car when a man offered to walk with her and claimed he would keep her safe. His behavior turned aggressive, the report states, when he implied he had a weapon in his waistband and would use it if she didn’t do what he said.

The man and the woman walked throughout downtown Charleston for four hours, pausing for short periods at Hampton Park and the Septima P. Clark Parkway where the man fondled the woman and forced her to fondle him.

The ordeal ended at a Circle K when the woman mouthed the words “Help me” to a store clerk, which prompted the employee to call police and kick the man out of business.

Wilson was convicted of first-degree sexual conduct in 1983 and a sex offender registry violation in 2007. He is being held at the Charleston County jail.

Reach Christina Elmore at 937-5908 or at Twitter.com/celmorePC.