LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) – A volunteer Census worker who made his rounds earlier this week is now accused of returning to a physically handicapped woman's home this weekend and beating her and raping her.
WHAS11's Adrianna Hopkins was in Pekin, Indiana on Sunday where the crime happened, and spoke to the neighbors and friends of both the victim, and the accused.
"I had no reason to be afraid or anything of him,” said Debbie Bishop. “He was just a nice ordinary person."
That's what Bishop thought last Tuesday when she met Daniel Miller. The self-employed tile-layer and volunteer Census worker drove up her road, stopping at the homes listed on his Census forms.
The two had a short conversation and she answered all of his Census questions.
"He just seemed really nice, he was actually he was over friendly," Bishop said.
But if what Washington County Sheriff's Deputies say about Miller is true, Debbie says she's sorely mistaken.
Police say that same Tuesday, Miller also stopped by Debbie's neighbor's house. Then, that Saturday, at 4:30 in the morning, police say he returned to her neighbor's home, broke in, and beat and raped the 21-year-old physically handicapped woman who lives there with her mother.
"It's not right. She had no choice, you know,” said Bishop. “You don't do that."
The victim's mother talked to us off-camera, and said while she was sleeping, Miller raped her daughter,
then left his clothes in her daughter's room.
A neighbor says Miller then drove around the house as if he was drunk.
WHAS11 News went to Miller's house and according to his friends, he had been drinking Friday night.
Miller lives in an apartment complex by a nice, family friendly neighborhood. It’s within eyeshot of Eastern High School and East Washington Middle School.
WHAS11 News was told Miller's been married for 13 years and has two daughters. His friend Timothy Mattingly says he's shocked Daniel was arrested for this crime.
“I went fishing with him almost all the time,” he said. “He was nice and friendly.”
Debbie Bishop says she's realized you can't trust people because you never really know who they are.
"There's no way to describe what I think about a person like that,” Bishop said. “It's not even thinkable. There's no way a person like her should be treated like that. It gives me chill bumps thinking about it."
Miller was transported to the Washington County Detention Center where he’s being held with no bond. He will appear in court on Monday.
