Cops warn of house-breaking sicko; he's after sexual gratification not loot

Posted on Thu, Apr. 1, 2010

By DANA DiFILIPPO
Philadelphia Daily News

A pimple-faced pervert has been preying on young girls in the Castor Gardens and Oxford Circle neighborhoods, prompting police to urge citizens to take extra precautions as they scramble to identify and nab him.

The most recent incident occurred at 11 p.m. Tuesday, when a 12-year-old girl awoke in her duplex, on Kerper Street near Summerdale Avenue, to a man punching her, said Capt. John Darby of the Special Victims Unit. The child fought off the man, biting his finger as he punched her repeatedly in the face, Darby said. Her screams brought her mother running, and her attacker fled.

That attack was the third in five weeks in a rectangle stretching roughly from Knorr Street to just below Devereaux Avenue and between Large Street to just northwest of Summerdale Avenue, Darby said.

The first occurred Feb. 28 on Levick Street near Castor Avenue, when a 10-year-old girl awoke at 2:35 a.m. to find a hooded man standing over her, touching her, Darby said. The girl's screams alerted her 74-year-old babysitter, who pulled him off the child and bit his arm. He fled through the front door.

In the second case, the degenerate broke into a home on Lardner Street near Large about 12:55 a.m. on March 7. A 22-year-old woman awoke on her sofa to find a man masturbating in her dining room. She fled out her front door to a neighbor's house, while the masturbator escaped through her back door, Darby said.

In two cases, the thug entered the homes through unlocked doors or windows, Darby said.

"We have a warm weekend coming up," Darby said, adding that citizens should lock windows and doors despite the spring weather and ensure that their property is well-lit at night.

"We are asking folks that they pay particularly close attention and immediately call 9-1-1 if they're suspicious of anyone in the area," Darby added.

The molester is described as a black man of thin to medium build, age 18 to 22, about 6 feet tall. One victim reported that he had extensive facial acne or some sort of skin condition. Another reported that he had a neatly trimmed beard, bushy eyebrows and a chain hanging from his belt.

From: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/89667672.html