NEWPORT BEACH : Police Seek Help in Finding Attacker

Police asked for the public’s help Tuesday in finding a man who has assaulted a 19-year-old Newport Beach woman three times in the past nine months.

The most recent attack occurred last week when the man entered the woman’s Newport Heights residence “through a ruse” and tried to rape her, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Andy Gonis said.

The man hit the woman in the head and fled when she activated an alarm in her home, Gonis said.

After the latest attack, the woman was able to give investigators a detailed description of her assailant, and a composite drawing was developed, police said.

The first attack occurred in June when the woman, whose identity was not released, was accosted outside her home fter she returned from a late-night movie, Gonis said. The man ran when the woman fell to the ground screaming, he said.

In September, she was assaulted again when the man broke into her car and hid, Gonis said. After the woman got into the car, she was ordered to drive around the neighborhood for about 30 minutes before the man fled, he said.

The attacker, whose motive is unknown, is described as a Caucasian with olive complexion in his 30s, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 180 pounds, Gonis said.