Masked Man Breaks In, Rapes Woman

K-9 Used In Search On Kirkland Terrace

POSTED: 2:33 pm EST March 1, 2010
UPDATED: 8:29 pm EST March 1, 2010

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C.--Police used a K-9 to try to track down a rapist early Monday morning. Officers were called to an apartment complex on Dr. O.C. Kirkland Terrace in Spartanburg where a 25-year-old woman reported being raped by a masked man who broke into her apartment.

Investigators said the man got into the apartment through a back window. The woman has children who were in the apartment with her at the time of the assault, police said.

The K-9 tracked a scent away from the back of the apartments, past the Woodson Recreation Center and onto South Liberty Street, where the tracking dog lost the scent.

Police said the attacker wore a mask and gloves and the woman did not recognize his voice.

Investigators said that the rapist is also believed to have cut the screen on a window in the apartment next door to the victim.

The woman’s grandmother said the 25-year-old came to her for help after the attack.

"I got up, opened the door. She said, ‘Quick.’ And when I opened the door, she said, ‘Somebody broke in my house and they raped me.’"

She said the rape has left her granddaughter shaken.

"She don't want to be by herself, which is understandable," she said.

The grandmother had a warning for the community. She said, "All the young girls in this particular neighborhood -- and all neighborhoods that live alone -- need to be a little more careful. Keep your windows locked and make sure all your doors are locked when you go to bed at night."

Investigators said that they believe the rape is likely to be an isolated incident, but they are warning residents to be cautious.

The victim’s grandmother said she hopes the police find the rapist before her family does.

“God help him,” she said. “That’s all I can say.”

Another woman who also lives in the complex told investigators she thinks the suspect in the assault may be a man known to some who live in the complex. But police have not yet named a suspect, nor do they have any persons of interest.

From: http://www.wyff4.com/news/22706866/detail.html