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NEW ORLEANS  —  A man from New Orleans is accused of raping and beating a woman from Indiana while she was on vacation in Louisiana.

40-year-old Kenneth Barber appeared in a Louisiana courtroom on Thursday to face charges of rape and kidnapping.

The victim told police she was approached by Barber while visiting the French Quarter with her cousin in October.

She said Barber started making advances toward her, which she turned down.

The victim told police she and her cousin later became separated and Barber approached her again, grabbed her by the hair, and tried to drag her toward the Mississippi River.

She said Barber threatened to kill her before beating and raping her.

New Orleans police used DNA evidence from the rape kit to find Barber, who gave a DNA sample during a previous arrest in Mississippi.

(Photo by Brian A. Jackson/Thinkstock.)