LA CRESCENTA : Warning Issued About Intruder

Police issued a warning Thursday about an intruder who poses as a window washer and then robs elderly women in La Crescenta, Montrose and Glendale.

His most recent victim, a 79-year-old woman, told police that she was the victim of burglary and had been sexually battered Wednesday.

The man has entered at least 50 homes, sometimes by force, in the last three years, according to police. Authorities have been unable to determine the value of property lost.

Two attacks on successive days this week followed a familiar pattern, authorities said.

The man confronts the victim at the door of her home, telling her that he represents an unnamed group that helps wash windows for the elderly. But he never identifies himself. The man then enters the victim’s home with or without permission.

“He rapidly goes through the house,” said Sgt. Dan Cox of the Crescenta Valley sheriff’s station. “Anything of value that’s laying in plain view, he’ll grab and put in his pockets. And then he leaves.

“He has been forceful and persuasive in his desire to get into the house,” he said.

Of the 50 reports in the past three years, 12 have occurred in the last six months, Cox said.

“We’re not sure how he singles these individuals out, but obviously there must be some thought and planning that goes into this,” he said.

The man is described as being black, between 30 and 40 years old, more than 6 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds.