Following his convictions for aggravated assault with intent to rape, attempted rape, false imprisonment, simple battery, and simple assault, Cameron W. Wright, filed a motion for new trial, which the trial court denied after a hearing. He appeals from that order, contending that the evidence was insufficient to support the aggravated assault and attempted rape convictions, and that the trial court erred in admitting evidence of a similar transaction because the State failed to prove similarity between the similar transaction and the current offense. Upon our review, and finding the evidence sufficient and the similar transaction admissible, we affirm. “On appeal from a criminal conviction, the evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to support the verdict, and Wright no longer enjoys a presumption of innocence.” Citations, punctuation and footnotes omitted. Jackson v. State , 252 Ga. App. 268 1 555 SE2d 908 2001. So viewed, the evidence shows that on October 12, 2008, the victim was walking in her neighborhood at approximately 8:00 a.m. The victim testified that she usually walks the same mile long route around her subdivision twice a week. As she approached the entrance to her subdivision, she suspected that a man, later identified as Wright, was following her. The victim was nervous so she called her father on her cell phone and advised him that she thought she was being followed. She stopped walking and turned toward Wright and asked him if he was following her. Wright appeared startled and said no. The victim picked up her pace but stayed on her cell phone with her father as she continued walking towards her home. Wright suddenly started running toward the victim, lunged at her and pushed her down. Wright then grabbed the victim’s foot and dragged her toward a nearby vacant lot at the top of an embankment. As the victim struggled, her right shoe came off and she briefly escaped Wright’s grasp. When she attempted to run, Wright once again knocked the victim to the ground, and as he dragged her by her left ankle, her remaining shoe came off. At this point, Wright grabbed the victim by both ankles and continued to pull her toward the vacant lot. The victim testified that as he pulled her, her sweat pants came down, but she held on to them as she continued to struggle and “looked around. . . to find anything she could to knock the hell out of him because he was violating her.” Wright, apparently tiring of the struggle, suddenly dropped the victim’s ankles, looked around and ran off. The victim later identified Wright from a photographic lineup, and an analysis of blood on her sweatshirt confirmed Wright as her attacker.
1. We first address Wright’s contention that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions for aggravated assault1 and attempted rape.2 Specifically, Wright argues that because there was no evidence of his intent to rape the victim, as the State could not show that he took substantial steps to fulfill the requisite elements of rape. We disagree.
