A hotel employee in Carlstadt was severely beaten and nearly raped by an Ohio man that is now behind bars in Bergen County Jail, according to police. The woman, police say, had been attacked for nearly a half-hour by 52-year old Kenneth A. Gough of Cincinnati, a man staying at the hotel, the Hampton Inn on Paterson Plank Road.

Gough, who had been staying at the hotel since June 30, cornered the 24-year-old desk clerk on July 4 at approximately 4 a.m. after he gained access to the front desk area and entered the front desk’s back office. From there, police say, Gough proceeded to severely beat and partially disrobe the woman as she tirelessly fought back by putting her hands in his face. In the process, he nearly bit off her finger. The ordeal was caught on the hotel’s surveillance tape.

The female, after taking the nearly 30 minutes of abuse, was able to break free and scream loud enough for a hotel patron to hear her. She entered the patron’s first floor room and made a frantic 911 call to police who responded and found Gough hiding in a hallway where he was subdued and arrested. On the 911 call, the victim can be heard hysterically screaming at one point telling the dispatcher, "He came over the counter...he tried to rape me...he bit my finger."

The hotel patron that awoke from sleeping also responded to the dispatcher wondering if police were on their way. She told the dispatcher, "Because my husband’s out there and another guest and the guy’s in the hallway...I don’t want anyone else to be in danger." Police were at the scene and within just two minutes of when the victim placed the call.

The tape ends with police in the background telling Gough to get on the ground and put his hands up. Police say Gough was extremely intoxicated upon his arrest and that he later revealed he was a horse trainer staying in Carlstadt to find work at the nearby racetrack at the sports complex. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, criminal restraint, terroristic threats and stalking. He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail where he was held on $250,000 bail for the Carlstadt crime. Unrelated charges not associated with the Carlstadt crime, levied the bail $750,000.

The victim was transported to Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus where she was treated for cuts and severe bruising from the attack as well as bite marks. She was released July 7.