Silver Spring man held without bond for allegedly raping woman at healthcare training facility

MoCo detectives say there may be additional victims

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June 18, 2026 11:22 a.m.

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Montgomery County police arrested a man Sunday and charged him with the alleged May rape of a woman at a healthcare training facility that he runs in downtown Silver Spring, the department said Wednesday in a press release.

In addition to a rape charge, the man, Melesse Tamiru Semegne, 58, also faces charges of attempted second-degree rape, two counts of second-degree assault and a fourth-degree sexual offense, according to online court records.

On Monday, Montgomery County District Court Judge John Moffett ordered Semegne to be held without bond, according to court records. He is being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit in Rockville where he awaits a preliminary hearing on July 10.

Semegne is being represented by a public defender. A representative of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender said Thursday morning that the office was unable to immediately comment on Semegne’s case.

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Police believe there may be additional victims and detectives are asking anyone who may have had contact with Semegne to call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240-773-5400, according to the release. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous and provide tips to detectives can do so on the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County website or by calling 1-866-411-8477.

Semegne is the president, CEO and lead instructor at Fenote Training Academy at 8115 Fenton St. in Silver Spring, according to charging documents. The academy offers training in CPR, first aid, the use of an automated external defibrillator and basic life support training, according to a listing on the WorkSource Montgomery website. The website for the academy appeared to be suspended as of Wednesday afternoon.

According to police and charging documents, officers met around 8 p.m. May 6 with a woman at her residence in Silver Spring after she had reported being sexually assaulted.

The woman told police investigators that she went to Fenote Training Academy at 11:30 a.m. the previous day to meet with Semegne and discuss a job opportunity, according to charging documents. The woman had recently enrolled in a course to become a community health worker, the document said.

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The woman said she and Semegne were alone at the academy when Semegne allegedly grabbed her face, forced himself upon her and touched and kissed her inappropriately.

At some point during the interaction, the woman told Semegne that she did not want to engage in sexual contact, charging documents state. Semegne, however, allegedly continued to push the woman onto a chair in his office and then raped her.

After the incident, the woman left the building and reported the rape to a family member, the charging documents state. She later called 911, met with officers and went to the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, where a sexual assault forensic examination was conducted.

On May 7, Semegne and the woman allegedly spoke on the phone about the rape, according to charging documents. During the call, Semegne allegedly apologized several times and offered to pay the woman’s tuition for her course.

On May 14, county detectives executed a search warrant at the academy in downtown Silver Spring and were assisted by forensic scientists from the department’s crime scene unit, according to the charging documents. During the search, evidence was seized from Semegne’s office. The documents did not specify what the evidence was.

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Police obtained an arrest warrant for Semegne on June 9, according to online court records. Semegne turned himself in to police on Sunday.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine