This makes me feel good about next year...
A man who raped a 25-year-old female worker after robbing a West Cross Street business near Eastern Michigan University late Monday afternoon could be the same suspect in previously unsolved attacks on women in the city, Ypsilanti Police say.
Deputy Police Chief Matt Harshberger said the description of the man in Monday's attack is similar to that of the assailants in an attempted sexual assault on a woman in her home in November and a sexual assault of an Eastern Michigan University student earlier this year.
"It is very, very possible that we're talking about the same suspect,'' Harshberger said this morning. "Right now, we have all our detectives in working on this case.''
The woman was working alone at the business when a man came in posing as a customer. Harshberger said the man implied that he had a weapon and took money from the cash register. He then forced the woman into a back room where he raped her.
When another customer came in, the attacker fled the business in an unknown direction. The assailant is described as a black, in his early 30s and was wearing all black clothing.
Ypsilanti Police went to the business at 5:17 p.m. and after talking with the victim, requested a K-9 unit from the State Police Ypsilanti Post. The dog tracked the attacker's scent up to the AATA bus stop on Pearl Street.
Harshberger said they will review surveillance tapes from the bus stop today and other leads. "We will work this case heavily and we hope to catch a break that will lead us to an individual we can question,'' he said.
Monday's attack was at least the fifth assault on a woman in the Ypsilanti area since March, although it remains uncertain whether any of them are linked. The attacker's description in each case has been a black man, but the estimated ages, heights and weights have varied.
Four of the attacks occurred on or near the Eastern Michigan University campus, and the fifth occurred at an apartment complex in Ypsilanti Township.
In March, an 80-year-old woman was inside her Cross Street Village apartment when a man picked the lock on her door and entered. Police said the intruder grabbed the woman and threw her on the bed, asked for cash, removed some of her clothing, became angry over her age and threw her into a closet. He stole $400.
In May, a 21-year-old EMU student was working in a science lab at the Mark Jefferson Science Building when her partner left the room to get food, and a man entered. Authorities said the man forced the student into an adjacent room and sexually assaulted her, but was distracted by a noise, allowing the woman to escape.
A third attack occurred in September in Schooner Cove Apartments near Ford Lake when a 28-year-old woman was raped in her apartment. Sheriff's officials said the woman was forced to drive the man to an ATM to withdraw money, and the man ordered her to drop him off near an Ypsilanti intersection, where he walked off carrying her bedding.
Then in early November, a 49-year-old woman was raking leaves in the yard of her home on North Congress Street when she walked back inside and found an intruder. Police said the man severely beat and attempted to sexually assault the woman.
Jim Vick, EMU's vice president for student affairs, said campus officials will issue a bulletin about the attack and have beefed up security measures on campus this fall. Among the changes are six new community security officers, a private security company and continuing installation of security card-access doors to buildings for after-hours.
A town hall meeting was held recently, and a take back the campus event occurred Monday, Vick said. "This latest incident close to our campus is disturbing to say the least,'' Vick said today.