HOUSTON — A woman who said she was kidnapped and held hostage for years in a Houston man's garage may not have been the only victim.
A second woman came forward and said she was also held against her will and sexually assaulted by Lee Carter. We were in the courtroom Friday morning for a hearing on that case.
The woman told police that Carter kidnapped her and sexually assaulted her in July 2021. No other details were released.
Carter, 52, remains jailed without bond for the first case which we told you about in January.
First woman rescued after contacting police on app
The alleged victim in that case said Carter locked her in his garage on Perry Street in southeast Houston for four or five years where he repeatedly drugged her and sexually assaulted her.
According to court documents, the woman said she was panhandling a few years earlier when Carter offered to help her so she got into his car.
She said she begged Carter to let her go but he would threaten her with physical violence. When she tried to get away, Carter would catch her and throw her back in the garage, the woman claimed.
According to court documents, there were times that Carter would let the woman use his laptop. She said she used a texting app to communicate to police that she was being held against her will. Court documents said that police and firefighters were sent to the home at least once and they took the woman to the hospital, but Carter picked her up and took her back to the garage.
On April 7, 2023, the woman made contact with police again, telling them she was being held captive, court documents read. When police made it to the home, they rescued the woman and noticed that the garage she said she was being held captive in had a makeshift toilet that did not flush, a mattress covered with fresh vomit, a box of assorted chips and a shelf with about four to five folded shirts and 10 to 15 diapers, court documents said.
The woman told police she wanted to press charges against Carter and requested a protection order. Police tracked him down to a motel and arrested him in January.
Police returned to Carter's home after his arrest because the woman recently told them there may be other people held captive there.
"The concern is we possibly had an individual located inside this residence, perhaps locked inside," HPD Commander Michael Collins said.
They didn't find anyone but a dog was removed.
'I'm innocent'
After a court appearance in January, Carter denied the allegations and said he has a child with the woman who was rescued.
"This is my son's mother. This is not a stranger," Carter said. "I’m innocent.”
It's not clear if there is actually a child involved.
Carter also claimed the woman lied about being held for four or five years.
"I've only owned the house and lived in it for 13 months,” he said.
A few hours after appearing in court, Carter posted to social media, "Do the math" and "All allegations are false" as he promoted his latest album. Carter claims to be a Houston rapper on social media and is known by his stage name, Viper.
The case is being handled by the Harris County District Attorney's Human Trafficking Division.
Prosecutors said it's possible more charges could be added as they continue to investigate.
Neighbors were shocked to hear the news.
"Like most folks, we couldn’t believe it number one," Spradley said. "And people live right across the street, next door and it’s kind of strange or odd to hear that they never saw anything strange or unusual."