He attacked two women in two nights, police say. Then an off-duty cop spotted him.

A Macon man tried to rape a woman inside her east Bibb County apartment Monday night, but the assault was thwarted by a downstairs neighbor who walked upstairs to check on her upon hearing the commotion, sheriff's investigators testified in magistrate court Thursday.

The neighbor knocked on the woman's door and Jamal Chris Rowe, a stranger, answered.

Rowe "asked him what he was doing there," investigator Michael Wilson said. "The neighbor then says, 'What are you doing here?' and he hears the woman screaming, 'Help! Help! He's trying to rape me!' "

Rowe threatened to cut the woman's neighbor before jumping over a fence and running away.

The next night, Rowe knocked on a different woman's door, forced himself inside and raped her repeatedly for more than an hour, investigator Robert Shockley told Judge Edgeley Myers.

Rowe, who lives in east Macon, is charged with burglary, kidnapping and five counts of rape in connection with the assaults. He also is charged with violating probation.

The 28-year-old had recently served about 24 months behind bars after pleading guilty to fleeing police and theft by receiving stolen property, according to Bibb County Superior Court records. He was sentenced to 10 years, three to be served in prison, records show. It is unclear when he was released.

Wednesday morning, as investigator Michael Wilson was headed home from working a late shift, he spotted a man walking along Clinton Road who matched the description the women gave of their attacker. Wilson said he stopped his car and got out to talk with Rowe.

Rowe was taken to the detective bureau for questioning and booked at the Bibb County jail where he remained Thursday night with no bond.

This story was originally published February 7, 2018 at 9:20 PM with the headline "He attacked two women in two nights, police say. Then an off-duty cop spotted him.."