Police Seek Serial Rapist in Eight Attacks on Women in Two Cities

A serial rapist has attacked eight women in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley during a 14-month period, police said Friday.

Huntington Beach Police Lt. Ed McErlain said he was unable to release some details because police don’t want to panic residents, drive the rapist into hiding or jeopardize their investigation.

McErlain said the attacker confronted victims at knifepoint in all eight cases, five of which occurred during the last four months. The first case was reported in Fountain Valley on Nov. 4, 1985, and the most recent in Huntington Beach on Jan. 15.

Police describe the rapist as a white male, 18 to 25 years old, 5-feet-10 to six feet tall, with a thin to medium build, dark eyes and straight to wavy, medium length hair.

A police sketch of the assailant was released Nov. 26, after the third attack in Huntington Beach. McErlain said it was not until the first week of January, following the seventh rape, that the two police departments determined that all of the rapes probably had been committed by the same man.

Described as clean-shaven and clean-cut, the attacker stalked some of his victims and returned later to rape them, McErlain said.

Each incident occurred either late in the evening or early in the morning, and the attacker entered through unlocked doors or windows, McErlain said. In most cases, he said, the victim was awakened by the rapist.

Police said they did not find any similarities among the victims except that they were in their early 20s to mid-30s and that other roommates or children living with some of them had no contact with the man.

All of the attacks occurred in either apartments, condominiums or townhouses, McErlain said.

In some of the Huntington Beach cases, the victims’ residences were also burglarized, but only small objects were taken, said police spokeswoman Jo Anne Bonkowski.

Fountain Valley Police Sgt. Larry Griswold said his department would not comment on whether any of the victims in that city were also burglarized.

McErlain said police are asking victims of other, unreported rapes that may be connected to the serial attacker to contact authorities.

The four Fountain Valley rapes--which occurred on Nov. 5, 1985, Nov. 9, 1985, Nov. 16, 1985 and Jan. 15--took place near the intersections of Brookhurst Street and Warner Avenue and Brookhurst and Slater Avenue.

The first two Huntington Beach rapes--Oct. 6, 1986 and Nov. 11, 1986--occurred near Newland Street and Talbert Avenue. The third and fourth rapes--on Nov. 21, 1986 and Dec. 25, 1986--took place near Warner Avenue and Bolsa Chica Street.

Ten Huntington Beach and four Fountain Valley officers are investigating the attacks.

“It’s not an easy case, but we feel it is necessary for the number of people who are working on it to continue until the case is solved,” McErlain said.

So far, McErlain said, heavy publicity has not caused a panic among area residents.