Hempstead man held on bail for alleged sexual assaults

A Hempstead man accused of sexually assaulting three women he met on the Internet was ordered held Saturday on $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash bail.

Ramone Smith, 23, is due back in First District Court on Tuesday, court records show.

Nassau police said Smith arranged meetings with the women in August and September and then attacked them, threatening each with a razor knife. In one instance, he stole the woman's lingerie, police said.

Smith was charged with multiple felonies, including predatory sexual assault, first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree robbery, first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Detectives said that on Aug. 28, Smith met a 31-year-old woman online and invited her to his apartment at 10 Washington St. Smith took her to the roof, showed her the knife, then sexually assaulted her, police said. He was arrested at his apartment on Sept. 3.

Police said that sometime in August, Smith contacted a woman, 19, on the Internet and arranged to meet her at his apartment. When she arrived, the two got into an elevator. Smith demanded that she give him some lingerie she had with her, then began to touch her in a sexual manner, police said. Smith pulled out a razor knife and the two struggled, but the woman gained control of the knife and fled after the elevator doors opened, police said.

In the third incident in August or early September, Smith led another 19-year-old to the roof of his building and sexually assaulted her at knifepoint, police said.