Hiker Raped Near Los Robles Trail

A Thousand Oaks woman walking on Los Robles Hiking Trail near Triunfo Community Park was raped at knifepoint Saturday afternoon, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

The woman, in her 30s, was attacked about 3 p.m. after being forced off the trail at knifepoint, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Sparks. She received minor injuries during the assault and no knife wounds.

She was being treated at Ventura County Medical Center on Saturday night, where she was also to undergo tests to collect DNA evidence. Sparks said other evidence was found at the crime scene, but he would not elaborate.

The woman told police she frequently hikes in the area, which sits in the foothills above Kmart at 325 Hampshire Road. The site of the attack was about one mile west of Triunfo Community Park.

More than a dozen deputies on foot, motorcycle, bicycles and in a helicopter searched the trail area and nearby park for more than three hours. A K-9 unit was also used. There were no witnesses, Sparks said.

The suspect was described as Latino, in his early 20s, and wearing a white tank shirt and black pants. Anyone with information can anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 494-TALK in Thousand Oaks or Moorpark or at 987-TALK in the west county area. Calls are not recorded.