Teen charged in Merriam rape, attempted murder

A Merriam teenager was charged Wednesday with raping and attempting to kill a 21-year-old woman.

Johnson County prosecutors charged 18-year-old Clarence Daniel Hartnell IV with attempted first-degree murder, rape and aggravated kidnapping in connection with the incident that occurred late Sunday or early Monday at an apartment complex in the 7100 block of Eby Lane in Merriam.

His bond was set at $500,000. He made his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon, and an attorney from the public defender’s office was appointed to represent him.

According to the charging documents filed in Johnson County District Court, Hartnell allegedly set up a meeting with the victim, who was identified in the documents by her initials. He was armed with a knife during the incident, during which the woman was held against her will and sexually assaulted, according to the allegations.

Hartnell was also charged with making a criminal threat that disrupted activities at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. The documents don’t provide specifics of what the threat involved.

According to court records, Hartnell had just completed probation in July in a misdemeanor battery case.

Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.com

This story was originally published October 1, 2014 at 12:45 PM with the headline "Teen charged in Merriam rape, attempted murder."