Beech Grove man arrested in rape of elderly Greenwood woman

A 42-year-old Beech Grove man was arrested Saturday in the rape and assault of an elderly Greenwood woman, police said.

Ira S. Link was arrested in the 1100 block of Bethel Avenue in Beech Grove and faces preliminary charges of rape, burglary and confinement, according to a news release from the Greenwood Police Department.

Link was convicted of child molesting in 1993 and given a 39-year sentence, according to the Indiana Department of Correction's Sex and Violent Offender Registry. He was released on June 6, 2014.

The rape occurred shortly after 9 a.m. Friday in the Valle Vista subdivision in Greenwood, police said.

The woman told police she was alone in her house, when she heard a knock on her door. When she answered, police said she was attacked and forced back into her residence by a man with tattoos on his legs and neck.

According to police, the woman was beaten and sexually assaulted by the suspect in her home. During the assault, the man repeatedly threatened the woman's life, police said.

The victim was taken to Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis hospital for treatment. The Star does not typically name victims of sexual assault.

Link is being held in the Johnson County Jail on $192,000 bond.

The case remains under investigation.

Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams contributed to this story.

Call Star web producer Dwight Adams at (317) 444-6532. Follow him on Twitter: @hdwightadams.