ALLEN PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A man who was charged with the assault and rape of two elderly women in Dearborn has also been charged in connection to the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Allen Park.
"He's a monster. There's no other way to put it. He's an evil monster," said a woman who did not want to be identified, who has known Michael Shawn Holcomb for years.
Holcomb, 52, was arraigned Tuesday on new charges stemming from his alleged attack on a 13-year-old girl last week Sunday.
The woman, who asked that we not use her name or show her face, said it's outrageous that anyone would allow Holcomb, a registered sex offender, to be alone with any child.
In 2010, Holcomb was charged with first- and second-degree criminal sexual assault, as well as unlawful imprisonment for his crimes against a child in Dearborn Heights.
Holcomb pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal sexual conduct and after serving eight years in prison, he was paroled in April 2018 and discharged from parole two years later in 2020.
The attack on the teen, who was visiting, took place in the home of one of Holcomb's close relatives who was aware of his past.
The woman we spoke with, who also knows the 13-year-old victim and her family, said there was another child in the home who woke up and saw the assault in progress.
"They helped each other escape," she said. "He tried to lock them both in the house, and she's only 7 years old."
The girls ran to a neighbor who called 911.
In that case, Holcomb is charged with six counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, six counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of unlawful imprisonment, one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm by strangulation and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
"It's absolutely heartbreaking," the woman we spoke with told 7 Action News. "There's really no other way to put it. It's just heartbreaking. It's so terrible."
Police said Holcomb fled the scene in Allen Park before officers arrived. And just two hours later, he allegedly made his way into the home of two elderly sisters in Dearborn, where police and prosecutors said he brutally raped, assaulted and tortured the two.
One woman was able to escape and run to a neighbor's house, where 911 was called.
Dearborn police said Holcomb fled that scene but later that same day, he was tracked down at a nearby motel.
Our previous report about the alleged assaults of the two elderly sisters is below:
Allen Park Police Chief Christopher Egan believes if Holcomb had not been arrested, there would have been more victims.
A neighbor of the elderly sisters, who were hospitalized for their injuries, believes Holcomb may have previously gone to the victims' home looking for work.
Holcomb is employed by a family member doing home renovations.
The woman we spoke with said the relative who lives at the home in Allen Park where the teenager was sexually assaulted should never have allowed him to have access to the children.
"I was just disgusted," she said, calling it irresponsible and negligent
Egan agrees that the assault on the teen could have been prevented.
"Don't put vulnerable people in situations where things like this can happen. It comes down to doing what is right and not allowing what is wrong," Egan said.
Holcomb was ordered to be held without bond in his criminal case in Allen Park as well the case in Dearborn.
The woman we spoke with just hopes Holcomb is never able to walk free again.
"This man terrorized my life and many others," she said, asking that people pray for all of the victims, their families and all those affected. "He destroys everyone around him."
Holcomb is scheduled to be back in court early next month.
