Local News in Brief : Countywide : Information Sought on Assault Suspect

The Sheriff’s Department is seeking information about a man they believe kidnaped, beat and sexually assaulted a 29-year-old woman in the Coal Canyon area on Nov. 28.

Lt. Richard J. Olson said the man, in his early to mid-20s with straight blond hair and blue eyes, was last seen driving a beige or champagne colored four-door Honda Accord in the area of the Riverside Freeway between Main Street and Interstate 15 in Corona.

Olson said that is where the California Highway Patrol lost sight of the man after chasing him at high speed from the Coal Canyon area about 12:20 a.m. on Nov. 28.

The attacker abducted the woman near Beach Boulevard and Franklin Street in Buena Park, then took her to the Coal Canyon area off the Riverside Freeway, Olson said. After being sexually assaulted and beaten, she was tied up and left in a drainage ditch.

Olson said the woman was able to untie herself and get to the freeway, where a passing driver offered help.

The attacker was last seen wearing blue jeans, jacket and a black baseball cap. He had a slender, muscular build and a tattoo of a cross on his left forearm.

Anyone who may have information on the incident or the identity of the man is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department sex crimes detail at (714) 567-3860 or the patrol watch commander at (714) 647-1850.