ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607260051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
More than two months after a sexual assault on a boy camping along a popular stretch of the Appalachian Trail, Roanoke County police have turned to the public for help.
Thursday, at a reporter's request, they released details of the incident, which occurred about 11/2 miles from Catawba Valley Drive, Virginia 311.
"This was an isolated event and we didn't want to put out any fear that was unnecessary," said Roanoke County Detective S.C. Sturgill, who is heading the investigation.
Initially, police also did not want to publicize the case because they had a lead on a suspect and did not want to alert him, Sturgill said.
That lead never panned out.
Now, they are faced with virtually no additional information, solid suspect or any physical evidence. Last week, they updated their composite sketch of the assailant. They posted fliers of the sketch in convenience stores and restaurants throughout Catawba and Hanging Rock. The hope is that hikers in the area may recognize the the face, Sturgill said.
They also have alerted surrounding jurisdictions.
On the evening of May 15, the victim went camping with four other juveniles and an adult, Sturgill said. They set up camp near McAfee Knob.
About 6 p.m., the victim and another boy went to get some water from a spring about 100 yards away. The area was not visible from the campsite, Sturgill said.
One of the boys saw a man seated in a shelter, wearing a camouflage parka, jeans and a wide-brimmed hat. That boy left. The man then approached the other boy, who was filling his canteen. The man made sexually explicit remarks, Sturgill said.
As the boy turned to leave, the man grabbed him, threw him to the ground and sodomized him, Sturgill said. The assault took about two minutes. The boy ran back to the campsite and alerted the adult in the group. The campers, who were not from the Roanoke Valley, went home that night and called Roanoke County police the morning of May 16.
The assailant is described as a white man, between 5 feet 11 inches and 6 feet tall. He weighs between 180 to 200 pounds and has a pot belly. He is believed to be between 30 and 40 years old, with brown eyes, short salt-and-pepper hair and a gap between his front teeth.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Roanoke County Police at 561-8036 or 561-8063.
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Sketch|by CNB