Police Fear Serial Rapist on the Loose

Orange County detectives said Wednesday that they are hunting for a serial rapist who is believed to have sexually assaulted at least four teenage girls--including two sisters--in the last year.

The man, estimated to be in his late teens or 20s, has struck during daylight hours in several upscale neighborhoods across Orange County, targeting girls as young as 13. The rapist also is suspected of attacking a Seal Beach woman in her 40s who has a teenage daughter.

“Being that he’s gone around these different cities, it appears that he may be an opportunist,” said Irvine police Lt. Sam Allevato.

The first known attack took place in August in Tustin, when the man, armed with a handgun, ordered a 16-year-old girl off the street and into his truck, police said. He then drove the girl to a secluded area and raped her.

In October, the man attacked two sisters ages 13 and 16. He approached them in Huntington Beach, pretending to be a police officer, detectives said. He told the girls he was checking to see if they were truant and smoking while underage, police said, then lured them to an abandoned part of the shopping center and sexually assaulted them.

Less than a month later, the man struck again during a home invasion robbery in Seal Beach. There, a woman in her 40s returned home to find the man, armed with a kitchen knife, lying in wait.

The last attack took place nearly five months ago in Irvine, when the man broke into a 17-year-old girl’s home and sexually assaulted her when she returned from school.

Since January, police believe the attacks have stopped, but investigators fear the rapist may strike again.

“He may be in custody, he may be out of the area, but I doubt if he just quits,” Allevato said.

The string of sexual assaults comes as recent state crime statistics show that the numbers of stranger and acquaintance rapes in Orange County have remained relatively steady during the past few years while other types of violent crime have dropped significantly.

About 10 days ago, investigators discovered a possible connection between the assaults, Allevato said, although he declined to say what the link was.

The police agencies handling the cases are working with the district attorney’s Trackers Unit, a task force that specializes in investigating old homicide and rape cases.

In the Huntington Beach attack, the rapist wore a wide-brimmed straw hat. In the Tustin assault police believe the man’s hair was short, like a crew cut.

The truck used in the Tustin case is described as a full-size, dark blue pickup, possibly a Chevrolet. The truck was lowered, has chrome running boards, a racer-back spoiler and an orange racing stripe down the side, police said.

Police are urging other possible victims to contact them and are warning the public to remain vigilant.

“We don’t want to alarm anyone,” Allevato said, “but by the same token, we want people to take the necessary and reasonable precautions.”

Anyone with information can call the Huntington Beach Police Department’s detective hotline at (714) 375-5066.

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Avoiding Sexual Assault

* Be alert; walk with confidence.

* Trust your instincts. If a place makes you uncomfortable, leave.

* Make sure home doors and windows have sturdy, well-installed locks. Install a wide-angle peephole in the door.

* Keep entrances well-lighted.

* Never open a door to strangers. Make an emergency call while someone waits outside.

* Check I.D. of any sales/service people before letting them in.

* Stay out of isolated spots: apartment laundry rooms, underground garages, parking lots, offices after business hours.

* Don’t walk alone, particularly at night.

* If you come home to an open/broken door or window, don’t go in. Call police from a public phone or neighbor’s home.

* If you think you’re being followed, change direction and head for an open store, restaurants or lighted house.

* Park in areas that will be well-lighted/traveled when you return.

* Look around your car and in the back seat before you get in.

Source: National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign