Man with deep criminal history arrested in Keys beating and rape

A Keys man with an extensive criminal history was jailed Monday in the March rape and beating of a woman in Tavernier.

John Hayes, 53, of Marathon is charged with sexual assault, kidnapping, aggravated battery and robbery. Considering his rap sheet, he is facing a long stretch in state prison if convicted.

"I've had dealings with him for 30 years," Monroe Sheriff Rick Ramsay said.

The victim, 39, told deputies she was walking to Dillon's Irish Pub and Grille in the Tavernier Towne shopping center at mile marker 91 around 9 p.m. March 13 when a man came out of the bushes, dragged her into a wooded area behind the plaza and raped and beat her.

She suffered a broken bone in her face, multiple broken ribs and other injuries to her face, head, neck and back, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported. At one point, she lost consciousness — and when she awoke, Hayes reportedly was still raping her.

He reportedly told the woman he had raped six other women.

The former Miami resident was arrested based on DNA evidence, according to the sheriff's office. Ramsay said he pressed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to make it a top priority for its lab.

"They came back pretty quickly that they had a DNA hit," he said. "For the victim, it is an eternity. For law enforcement, this was pretty rapid."

Detective Manny Cuervo led the investigation. Hayes' bond is $525,000.

Hayes, arrested around 9 p.m. on Aviation Boulevard in Marathon, has a long history in the criminal justice system.

On Oct. 5, 2010, he was sentenced to three years in prison for selling drugs. In 1999, he got two years for selling cocaine. In 1994, he got a year for intimidating a witness and selling cocaine. He also was sentenced to prison in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, all for drug-dealing offenses.

"There were so many crimes over the years," Ramsay said. "He kept getting continual repeat offender status. With all those points, he would automatically go to prison. He would get out, fly right for a short amount of time and then get right back into it."

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Man with deep criminal history arrested in Keys beating and rape."