HOUSTON – A man facing multiple criminal charges following a Harris County Sheriff’s Office serial rape investigation appeared before a judge Thursday morning.
The suspect, 47-year-old Carl Earl Redfield, was previously a corrections officer in Indiana.
Redfield is currently in jail with a $2.65 million bond, facing five felony charges involving violent sex crimes with at least two different victims, but may have dozens of victims. The most recent victim is a 21-year-old woman who says he raped her with a gun in her mouth at a Cypress-area apartment, while he filmed.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday told KPRC 2 that five women have come forward since investigators asked for victims of Redfield to call them.
What happened in court
In court, prosecutors read out probable cause, which was described as graphic and detailed based on victims’ testimonies.
The judge kept Redfield’s bond at $2.65 million as prosecutors maintain that he’s a danger to the community, even though the defense attorney hoped to get it lowered.
Redfield’s defense attorney, William Van Buren, is casting doubt on sexual assault charges against his client, saying that at least one of the victims had a consensual relationship with him.
“There’s no doubt that there was that previous relationship. There was some monetary disagreement that took place where he had been helping her with bills, car payments, things along those lines, and we believe that that’s what triggered her to make this statement. It’s also important to note that she was also told by my client that she could leave at any time,” Buren said.
The defense attorney accused the sheriff’s office of “fishing expedition” by calling for more victims due to lack of evidence.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators believe Redfield has dozens of victims based on some of the other video evidence they have found inside of his apartment.
Prosecutors also noted a video corroborated one if the victims’ statements.
Gabe Kabak, a prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, fired back, stating, “they had been together, but consent is just that, one minute it’s there and once it is revoked, it is not there and you can have consensual sex in the morning, and you could be sexually assaulted in the evening.”
The sheriff’s office also stated they have been getting calls about Redfield and other counties may have to investigate some of the allegations based on where they happened.
Court records details first report
Court documents revealed multiple investigations into sexual assault cases involving Redfield.
On June 6 at around 2:40 a.m., authorities responded to a report from a woman calling from a grocery store parking lot, saying she had just come from a man’s apartment after being sexually assaulted at gunpoint, according to search warrants obtained by KPRC 2.
The 21-year-old victim said the assault happened at around 1 a.m. She said she went to his apartment to discuss vehicle repairs and a payment she had been promised. Once she got inside, she said the man, whom she knew as “Carl,” became aggressive, the warrants said.
He attempted to forcibly remove her clothes, before pulling out a gun and threatening violence if she didn’t do so herself. She said he made several violent threats, including saying, “I have nothing to lose; I’ll blow your brains out.”
He then escorted her to a bedroom and assaulted her as a visible camera recorded. He continued to point the gun at her and put it in her face.
After the assault, the man allowed her to leave. As she departed, he allegedly told her he knew her full name and address.
After hearing this account of the events, authorities said the victim was able to identify the man’s apartment without hesitation.
The woman also disclosed other details about the man’s apartment, including multiple Ring-style surveillance cameras and multiple password-protected phones that he used to store footage of previous alleged assaults. She said the man had showed her recordings of other victims.
An additional sexual assault complaint involving Redfield is also being investigated. This incident, which court documents indicate happened on Jan. 18, involved a woman who came to the same apartment while highly intoxicated. The woman said she was unable to consent and only had partial memories of the encounter.
In the second instance, a family member of the victim confronted Redfield, who told him “I have cameras in my house... she’s not my type... I have a good attorney.”
A search warrant was conducted at Redfield’s home. Items taken included: four Android cell phones, one iPad, one pair of ladies’ underwear, two security cameras, a wallet and a semi-automatic pistol.
Investigation into Redfield
Investigators believe he was reaching out to women on dating platforms or websites, then meeting them at his house or a friend’s house, before they were coerced into sex with violence or a gun, and sometimes videotaped without their awareness. A law enforcement source said on Monday he used a hidden camera.
In addition to violence, investigators said Redfield also sometimes promised financial benefits that victims never ended up receiving. He was allegedly preying on vulnerable women, according to HCSO.
“Each survivor came forward independently and provided consistent information that described patterns of manipulation, coercion, isolation, and in some cases a firearm to control and exploit some of these victims,” Cooke said.
Investigators say Redfield often told women he was a lawyer, though he is not licensed to practice law.
Only on 2: @HCSOTexas launches serial rape investigation after the arrest of Carl Earl Redfield, 47. He's currently in jail with a $2.65 million bond, charged in violent sex acts involving at least two women, but HCSO tells me there may be dozens more victims. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/YzukcbugjX
— KPRC 2 Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) July 28, 2025
He was arrested on July 24 at a car dealership off the Northwest Freeway where he worked in the service department, HCSO confirmed.
Investigators are now running Redfield’s DNA through a national database to see if it comes back on any unsolved cases and reaching out to law enforcement in Indiana, which is where he lived before moving to Houston about five or six years ago.
Redfield’s criminal record
According to records, Redfield was arrested in 2021 after allegedly hitting a woman in the face and strangling her after four months of dating. He was accused of flashing a gun during the argument because she didn’t want to have sex, but the case got dismissed about a year later because prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence of Redfield’s guilt.
In 2015, records show Redfield pled guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge for hitting his then-wife in the face in the parking lot of a grocery store. She filed for divorce that same year, according to civil court records.
Additional victims asked to come forward
Victims who want to file a report with the sheriff’s office should call 713-274-9370. The HCSO Victim Assistance Unit can also be reached at 713-274-9369.
“If you come forward, you’ll be treated with compassion, respect, and without judgment,” Cooke said. “We’re here to listen, we’re here help, and we are here to ensure the safety and justice of every victim.”
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare echoed the same sentiment, asking victims to let them know what happened to them -- ensuring they will be treated as a victim.