Mechanicsville, Maryland – William Francis Dixon, a 52-year-old man from Mechanicsville, was arrested on March 18, 2025, for an attempted kidnapping and armed robbery. This recent incident shed light on Dixon’s violent criminal history, which includes a conviction in 1994 for second-degree rape and attempted first-degree murder after a brutal attack on a woman in St. Mary’s County.
Court records exposed Dixon’s past offense in 1994, where he was found guilty of raping a woman and attempting to kill her on March 12, 1994. Following his guilty plea later that year, Dixon was sentenced to life in prison, which was then suspended to 40 years, in addition to a concurrent 20-year sentence for the rape charge.
In the 1994 case, authorities revealed that Dixon had followed a woman to her home, tricked his way into her residence, and carried out a vicious attack on her in the basement. The victim suffered over 40 stab wounds with a flathead screwdriver and was in critical condition upon initial hospitalization.
After serving time at Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Dixon was eventually released on supervised probation. The recent arrest stemming from the attempted kidnapping incident led to Dixon’s detention while awaiting further legal proceedings by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
As the investigation continues, authorities urge anyone with relevant information to step forward and assist the Criminal Investigations Division of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office. Dixon’s charges for the 1994 rape and assault included assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to rape, first-degree rape suffocation, second-degree forcible rape, assault, battery, and malicious injury.