Series of Rapes, Burglaries Makes Fear a Neighbor for Elderly

It was late Monday night, and many older residents of Sunkist Gardens Mobile Home Park were fast asleep when they were awakened by a knock at the door.

It was the police.

“They were looking for a murderer and a rapist. They knocked on every door and looked in every room and under every bed,” Ed Bowman, 81, said.

“He knocked on the door at about 3 a.m. with a billy stick,” said another resident of the Anaheim park, a 73-year-old woman who did not want to be identified. “I asked if I should turn the lights on. He said, ‘If he’s in here, we’ll get him.’ ”

Search Continuing

But he wasn’t. And as of Thursday, police were still seeking the man they believe is responsible for 22 rapes, attempted rapes and burglaries in Anaheim, Fullerton, Santa Ana and Claremont.

He also may be responsible for the death of an 86-year-old woman who died of a heart attack following an attempted break-in at her Anaheim apartment.

The majority of victims are elderly women living in mobile home parks, apartments and senior centers--many in their 80s and at least one in her 90s.

After a resident of the Sunkist Avenue mobile home park said he saw a man that fit the suspect’s description Monday night, many residents in the area became more cautious. Some became more fearful.

“All the gals are scared,” Bowman said.

‘Almost Bumped Into Him’

The resident was out for a stroll when he came across a man going toward a neighbor’s porch, police said.

“He almost bumped into him,” said Lorraine Anderson, a neighbor of the resident who returned to his home and called police.

“It created a lot of excitement for a dull park” Anderson, 59, said.

Within minutes of the call, police arrived with dogs and a spotlight, while a helicopter hovered above. Officers went from home to home and remained in the area until 7 a.m. Tuesday, Anaheim Police Sgt. John R. Kolbo said.

‘Very Frightening’

“It was very frightening,” one elderly woman said. “I think everyone is just being careful.”

Kolbo said police have increased patrols in the mobile home park and throughout the city.

Police describe the suspect as about 25, 5 feet, 9 inches to 5 feet, 11 inches, approximately 170 pounds and sporting a short Afro hair style.

Liz Weber, 71, said the crimes were not the topic of discussion at the West Anaheim Senior Citizens Center, where bingo was on the afternoon agenda.

Women More Cautious

But the rapes have made Weber and other elderly Anaheim women more cautious, she said. Most women she knows are placing extra safety locks on windows.

“He seems to have a thing for older women--not younger women. Maybe his grandmother beat him up when he was younger. I don’t know,” Weber said.

The suspect is linked to a series of rapes occurring mostly either in the late evening or early morning. All the victims were attacked in their homes. All but one lived alone.

Most of the women were asleep when the intruder came in through an open window or door. In only one case was a weapon used.

Did Not Call 911

On April 22, an 86-year-old woman suffered a heart attack while calling police to report an intruder trying to gain entry into her apartment through a window.

The woman did not dial 911. Instead, she called police, but could not relay her address. When police tracked down her home, she was dead.

“When you dial 911, the name and address prints out on a television screen. If you can’t talk, or if you’re frightened, or if you’re screaming,” the emergency switchboard will pick up the location, explained Debbie Koerner, Anaheim police community services representative.

Dialing 911 is one of the key points Koerner stresses in her crime prevention and safety presentations.

Since the string of rapes became publicized, Koerner said her office has received calls from some of the complexes where the crimes occurred. Unlike the typical poor turnout to such presentations, these events, she said, netted a “100% turnout.”