Virginia Man Arrested In Johnston County Rape, Kidnapping Case

JOHNSTON COUNTY, N.C. — A months-long investigation by the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office has led to the arrest of a Virginia man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman last fall.

Hayden Michael Haggerty, 22, of Roanoke, Virginia, was taken into custody March 5 and charged with second-degree forcible rape and first-degree kidnapping.

Investigators say the case began Sept. 27, 2025, when an adult woman reported she had been sexually assaulted inside a vehicle near a ballfield in the Cleveland community of Johnston County. After the alleged assault, authorities said the suspect drove the woman across the state line to Danville, Virginia, where she was released.

The victim reported the incident immediately but was unable to tell investigators where the assault had occurred. During the investigation, detectives analyzed cell phone data, which authorities say helped pinpoint the location of the alleged crime in Johnston County.

Officials said the victim and suspect were known to one another.

At last report, Haggerty was being held in the Johnston County Detention Center without bond.