Tulsa Police Catch Suspected Serial Rapist, Link Him To At Least 3 Assaults

Tulsa Police arrested a suspected serial rapist recently who they believe can be tied to at least three sexual assaults since November. 

Detectives say Michael Harris failed to register as a sex offender in Tulsa.

Tulsa Police are coordinating with other police departments and looking at other cases dating back three years to see if any others match this man's MO.

Harris is charged with kidnapping, rape and sodomy after police say he attacked a 17-year-old girl.

"I would call him definitely a serial rapist," said Detective Rod Russo of the Tulsa Police Sex Crimes Unit.

Police say Harris was riding his bicycle near 72nd East Avenue and Admiral Place on January 27, 2012, when he saw the girl walking and stopped to talk.

Detectives say the girl tried to walk away from Harris, but he pulled her behind a business and sexually assaulted her.

The victim was hysterical and flagged down a passing car to call police. Officers later found Harris riding his bike and arrested him.

When they did a background check, police say they tied him to two other rapes dating back to November using witness information.

"He's always violent with them. He's always used some type of force. He either hit them or kept some type of control over them, used a weapon," Russo said.

Detective Russo says Harris raped another 17-year-old near 3rd and Utica and a 38-year-old woman at 33rd and Mingo. Harris was driving a vehicle in those two cases.

"Really smoothes his way into getting them into his car," Russo said.

Police say Harris is a registered sex offender out of Texas. Detectives say he was supposed to register in Oklahoma when he moved, but never did.

"You think about the three victims we have, that was only in a two month period. We don't know how many more are out there that we just haven't connected him to," Russo said.

Harris pleaded not guilty to the charges in the January assault. He's being held at the Tulsa County Jail and awaiting arraignment on complaints of kidnapping and rape involving the two other cases.

Tulsa's Sex Offender Registration Office says there are between 150 to 200 sex offenders who should have registered but never did and now they have no idea where the offenders are.