Posted on 02/16/2005 9:57:31 AM PST by AdamSelene235
Intruder attacked grandmother, two grade-school girls
By Sarah Langbein and Sarah Huntley, Rocky Mountain News February 16, 2005
A task force of more than 100 Denver police officers and FBI agents hunted Tuesday for the rapist who attacked a grandmother and her two grade school-aged granddaughters at their home Monday night.
With the man still at large, fear rippled through Cheesman Park, one of the city's most stately neighborhoods, and beyond. Parents and extra security guards patrolled the yard at nearby Bromwell Elementary School.
Investigators Tuesday continued to comb through the large brick residence, just a block from the Botanic Gardens, where the three victims were assaulted at knifepoint.
Two similar attacks that occurred three days earlier within a two-mile radius of Tuesday's crime were being examined for possible connections.
"This is not typical," said Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman. "You don't see three sex assaults in such a short amount of time and in such close degree. That just doesn't happen."
The rapidly formed team, one of the largest investigative squads in the city's recent history, has been assigned to the attacks.
"Immediate arrest and successful prosecution, that's what we're after," Whitman said.
Police released few details about the latest crime, which occurred at the home of a successful Denver businessman. He and his wife were out of town.
"We deeply appreciate the concern of the community for our family," the family wrote in a statement. "As a family, our priorities are assisting the police with their investigation and healing. That healing can only take place in private. We trust that everyone will understand and respect our need for privacy."
Police do not believe the intruder had reason to target the family.
The suspect crept into the two-story home in the 800 block of Vine Street with a kitchen knife at about 7:45 p.m. as the girls were readying for bed and were already in their pajamas, according to a police report.
At some point, a neighbor across the street called police. It's unclear how the crime came to the neighbor's attention.
Officers quietly smothered the neighborhood of multimillion-dollar homes, believing the suspect was still in the area. They drove up with flashing lights but no sirens. They surrounded the home and enlisted the help of police dogs to try to track the man's scent.
Later, the department called in its helicopter to spotlight Cheesman Park.
"They came in a very stealthful manner," a neighbor said of police. "Ten minutes before I saw the (police) lights, I saw a shadow move down my driveway. It was probably a police officer."
At the time, many neighbors were unsure which family had been victimized.
The first in the string of assaults happened at 1:30 p.m. Friday, when a man walked into a woman's home through an unlocked door. He threatened her with a knife before assaulting her in a bedroom.
Then he left with her wallet.
The second assault occurred about 4 p.m. on Friday, two miles away. The shopkeeper at the Sixth Avenue Pet Source, near the corner of East Sixth Avenue and Clarkson Street, was robbed and raped by a man posing as a customer.
In all three attacks, the assailant was armed with a knife.
Whitman said detectives are trying to determine whether the cases are related.
Many officers have not slept since Monday night's assault, he said.
"The early stages of these crimes are the most important," Whitman said. "You have to front-load a lot of your effort there."
The chief hopes increased visibility of police on the streets will deter additional attacks.
"The fear is out there," he said. "The gravity of the situation definitely weighs on the investigators. They don't need any motivation. They are already motivated. But we have an urgent need to solve this crime."
Several residents of the Cheesman Park neighborhood said news of the assaults had unnerved them.
Serena Baker, who is in her 70s, awoke about a year ago to the sound of someone walking on broken glass. She discovered a stranger in her hallway - a man who turned out to be a burglar. Startled by her screams, he ran away without hurting anybody.
"I was awake all night," Baker said after hearing of Monday's attack several blocks away. "It's a very creepy feeling."
Her daughter, Sabrina Baker, said people's homes should be their sanctuary. "It's one thing if you are out somewhere, but it's totally something else if you are at home and with kids," she said.
Another neighbor, who was too afraid to give her name, said the public needs to understand the horror of the assaults.
"We are concerned about getting the real story out to the public about what happened to these children," she said. "Children are at risk."
The woman said she plans to be more vigilant, especially at night.
"I won't be walking Cheesman Park at 10 o'clock at night anymore, at least for a while," she said.
Vigilance was high Tuesday at Bromwell Elementary, less than a mile from the Monday attacks. Parents volunteered to watch over students on the playground.
Typically at lunchtime, four staff members monitor recess activities. On Tuesday, four were added for extra precaution, Principal Dennis Thompson said.
Denver Public Schools security officers also increased their presence at the school.
Bromwell, 2500 E. Fourth Ave., will be the site of at least one of two community meetings planned to address concerns of residents. On Thursday, parents can meet there at 6:30 p.m. with members of the Denver Police Department and Councilwoman Jeanne Robb. Tonight, Whitman will address a group at 6:30 p.m. at Teller Elementary School, 1150 Garfield St.
A public rally is also planned. It will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, in front of Sixth Avenue Pet Source at Sixth Avenue and Clarkson St.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP.
The assailants
Attackers' descriptions
• 1:30 p.m. Friday, 1100 block of Adams Street: Anglo or Hispanic male, mid-30s, 6-feet tall, unshaven face, wearing glasses and a camouflage jacket.
• 4 p.m. Friday, 800 block of East Sixth Avenue: Anglo or Hispanic male, in his 40s, 5-foot-8, medium build, dark hair sprinkled with gray, goatee, glasses, green khaki pants, black shirt, black shoes with white laces.
• 7:45 p.m. Monday, 800 block of Vine Street: white male, in his 30s, 5-foot-8, heavy build, dark hair, scruffy beard, glasses, dark sweatshirt and dark pants.
Source: Denver Police Department
Under the Home Rule Clause of the Colorado Constitution, Denver Courts have ruled the city exempt from both State and Federal law regarding the right to bear arms.
This is pretty unnerving. I live on the edge of Cheesman Park. Scary stuff.
ping
Stay safe.
Mr Chairman,
My first thought when I read it was in Denver was that it was a shame that the attacks didn't occur in a red zone. The blood spoor would have shortened the hunt.
Magslinger
Probably, but not certainly.
Bump
In order to calm people in the neighborhood, Police are setting up another gun buyback program. "This should help in controlling these nuisance crimes," the chief added. /sarcasm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.