First at Five o'clock, July 17, 2008

RICHMOND COUNTY, Ga.---A search involving 17 deputies leads to the arrest of a suspected rapist.

"By the time we got third one we knew we had a pattern. We knew we had someone who was committing these acts and was the same individual," said Lt. Scott Peebles, of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office.

They believe that individual is 29-year-old Jared Baxter.

They say he struck twice at the Iron Horse apartment complex, threatening to kill one woman who got away. Another woman was not so lucky: deputies say he raped her.

"He waited actually for the victim to come out and open the door and then he forced his way inside," said Peebles.

The third crime happened at Ridgecrest Apartments. That is also where Baxter lives.

Deputies say he threatened to kill a woman and told her to undress, but she was able to get away. Investigators used more than a dozen deputies to track down their suspect.

"There's just so many places that people can go and not be seen, even with a lot of surveillance. So it took 17 people to actually conduct thorough surveillance," said Peebles.

Deputies put ten cameras and those 17 people in the two complexes. They didn't know exactly who they were looking for, but noticed Baxter.

"We saw him go to the apartment and start looking through the window," Peebles said.

They say he was watching a young woman get ready for school. He heard a noise and took off, but North Augusta officers caught him.

"As far as the residents go, they're not gonna have to worry about this guy anymore. He's gonna be tucked away for a good long while," said Peebles.

Jared Baxter is now being held in North Augusta, waiting extradition back to Richmond County.

Investigators say they found evidence in his apartment linking him to all the cases.

As for the two apartment complexes, deputies say they were very helpful in finding the suspect.

One of them also sent out a letter warning residents of increased crime and urged them to be aware of their surroundings.