CLEVELAND (AP) — A convicted rapist who fled before police arrived to arrest him on new rape charges was arrested Saturday in his inner-city neighborhood after police found six decomposing bodies at his home.

Police spokesman Lt. Thomas Stacho said Anthony Sowell was walking down the street on the east side of Cleveland when authorities spotted him and took him into custody.

Sowell initially denied he was the man authorities were looking for but admitted his identity as officers began fingerprinting him, Stacho said. Charges against him are pending.

Officers initially identified three bodies at Sowell's home, Stacho said. Powell Caesar, a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County coroner's office, said additional remains were found and confirmed Saturday as three more bodies, for a total of six.

As of Saturday, autopsies had been performed on all six bodies but no cause of death or names were announced. Two autopsies were done Friday.

The first two bodies were found Thursday night when police went to Sowell's home to arrest him on charges of felonious assault and rape. Police say he had spent 15 years in prison for a 1989 rape.

Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller identified two bodies as black females and said one had died of a violent death ruled a homicide. No race or gender was determined for the others.

Police established a command post in the neighborhood to take missing-person reports and additional information on outstanding missing persons in the neighborhood.

Teresa Hicks, 48, was among the neighbors who said they were relieved about the arrest but left with a heightened fear of crime. She said she has known Sowell since high school.

"He was crazy," she said from her porch Saturday. "Sometimes he would just go off if he didn't have his way."

Darren Dunlap, 38, frequently visits the neighborhood to see his brother or friends. He said Sowell was known for borrowing money and looking for scrap metal to sell.

Hicks said she didn't think Sowell had a job but understood from conversations with him that he lived on a monthly check. She said she didn't know its source.

Police were checking crime reports to find matches for similarities to the 1989 rape or the most recent allegation against Sowell.

Minutes before the arrest was made, police Chief Michael McGrath tried to reassure parents that it was safe for their children to go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood if they followed standard precautions like avoiding strangers and staying in a group.

Hicks said her daughter would not be trick-or-treating.

Detectives with a search warrant found two bodies Thursday on the third floor of a duplex and began checking a fresh grave dug in the basement. The bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition, suggesting they'd been in the home a long time.

Police were checking missing-person reports back to June 2005, when Sowell was released from prison.

As a convicted sex offender, Sowell was required to report regularly to the sheriff's office, which said he had complied.

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BTW, I just heard the boogey man is out to get you...LOL. It is looking for bible thumper hyprocrits they are always the first to go you know...No real conviction or principals.

by   
Broughtwaprice
November 2, 2009, 10:46 pm
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You are funny, I did not know this was a religionous site? LOL What a dumbass and if you are tired go sit your dumbass down somewhere and I will go anyplace I choose, if you don't like it you leave dumbass. So when does the praying and bible classes start on this site. I haven't see it yet...Typical dumbass hyprocrite christian...blow it out of your****. Amen

by   
Broughtwaprice
November 2, 2009, 10:40 pm
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Im TIRED of hearing your LAME same-ole same-ole statement Broughtwaprice.

Go to some other site where you can talk about your LAME misguided beliefs.

This is a CHRISTIAN site, LEAVE if you dont like it

by   
A_day_in_the_life
November 2, 2009, 8:42 pm
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Religion have nothing to do with this and whether someone celebrates Halloween...What difference does that makes, actually the hyprocrites, sinner, adullters, murderers, rapists usually calls themsevles Christians and they need not a holiday to reap their vile on our communities...Please!

by   
Broughtwaprice
November 2, 2009, 6:20 pm
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Sheeran...You are an**** by mere title of this article, your use of the word "rotting" in your title which only defines you and unfortunately African-Americans who are exposed to so much violence, death and destruction that you become immune to decency, compassion and respect. Let's respect the victims and understand the only thing that is rotting in the inner cities our people who turn blind eye to the violence, death and destruction and do nothing...Or the people like you, who feed and spreed the aura of disrespect to the loss of African-Americans lives..You are an****.

by   
Broughtwaprice
November 2, 2009, 6:17 pm
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Some people do deserve life in prison -- this man is one of them.
BTW, to A_day_in_the-life -- right on target on the misguided celebration of demons on the pagan-derived Halloween. It's not just harmless fun. And to think that many CHURCHES have fallen prey to this. What sheep.

by   
Jacquelynn4
November 2, 2009, 1:42 pm
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Respect Lcolvin, but the way I see it is that certain customs increase cases of violence, sex, and the-like.

What positive is there in black America celebrating a pagan "holiday" like Halloween?

For ex, look @ the comments on the "Gov Perdue's halting of the release of prisoners in NC" post.

http://tinyurl.com/BAW-GovPerdue-article

BAW scoffs @ her move, and many black folk are mad @ her for doing it. Others divert into some rich v poor political rant. For those like BAW who scoffed @ Perdue's move, this is the result of their liberal policies.

by   
A_day_in_the_life
November 2, 2009, 11:54 am
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I was saddeb about the comments of A_Day_in_the_life. This had nothing to do with Halloween or any celebration of it. These were innocent people who lost their lives at the hand of a killer who had no business on the streets. If he raped a women 2 months ago, whey were they just now looking for him? If you want to comment on Halloween (by the way I do not celebrate this day either) comment on that but give mercy to the famililies of these women who died at the hand of this murder. He didnt just start killing around this day he has been klling people for the last couple of years!

by   
Lcolvin
November 2, 2009, 11:11 am
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Yea BlackAmericaWeb, in one article you promote the celebration of Halloween to young black kids, and then you express surprise that something like this would happen?

This is a crime I would expect when people celebrate demonic holidays like Halloween; and MOST ESPECIALLY they PROMOTE the "celebration" of this "holiday" to kids.

Get ya game up BlackAmericaWeb and THINK about what you as adults are promoting to children

by   
A_day_in_the_life
November 2, 2009, 10:26 am
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