THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130432
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
A day after a 14-year-old girl was grabbed by a man believed to be linked to at least 20 similar attacks, police canvassed the East End neighborhood to alert residents to the attacker's description.
On Tuesday, police went door to door targeting residents in the seven-block area surrounding the 900 block of 25th Street, where Monday's attack occurred.
``Investigators have passed out fliers with a description of the suspect to area residents in hopes of identifying the man who grabbed the victim. . . ,'' police spokeswoman Patricia L. Mahaffy said.
The girl was attacked about 6:40 a.m. while she was walking on the south side of 25th Street near Orcutt Avenue.
She passed a man who then turned around and grabbed her over the mouth.
She was able to escape after an adult witness pushed the man away from her.
The attacker then fled south on Orcutt.
The assaults on girls ranging from 8 to 17 in the East End began during the winter of 1990 and have occurred intermittently since then.
The victims were grabbed going to and from school. None was raped, but some were fondled, police said.
Mahaffy said the increased patrols of bus stops that were implemented in August remain in place. Police also will further increase visibility through bike and foot patrols.
Crime Watch and citizen groups, such as the Minutemen, will be expanded with the police department's help to patrol the bus stops and escort students who are walking alone, Mahaffy said.
``We've more than doubled the number of officers to the area,'' Mahaffy said.
``The department is also considering a number of additional covert surveillance strategies to address the situation.''
A composite drawing of the suspect will be released this week, Mahaffy said. However, police are trying to contact the man who witnessed Monday's attack to help with the sketch.
The attacker was described as a light-skinned black man, 35 to 40 years old with a moustache and slim build. He was wearing dark clothing and a dark hat and had a small scar approximately one-fourth of an inch in diameter on the right side of his mouth.
Tips for students
Students walking to and from bus stops should:
Walk in groups.
Report suspicious activities and people to police immediately.
Keep arms outside of jackets and coats for mobility and protection. MEMO: Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Line at 245-0755. Crime
Line offers cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to
arrests.
KEYWORDS: ASSAULT SUSPECT PENINSULA by CNB