Police Release Detailed Profile of Suspect in String of Simi Valley Sexual Assaults

SIMI VALLEY —  Responding to a spate of sexual assaults in this nation’s safest city, Simi Valley police on Saturday issued a warning and a detailed behavioral profile of a suspect.

Since September, police believe that one young man has entered four homes where people were sleeping and raped or tried to assault four young women--the latest on June 14.

After that assault, detectives began to see a pattern in the crimes and contacted the California Department of Justice and the FBI to develop a profile of the suspect.

The profile portrays him as a loner in his late 20s who is probably single, who has never had successful relationships with women his own age and who may be following his own crimes in the media.

And with the latest assault, police are warning Simi Valley residents to lock their doors and windows, because in at least two of the cases, the suspect came in through an unlocked entrance.

“We hope that the public will be able to help us so we can take this threat off the street and resolve the problem,” Capt. Richard Wright said. “We do have a suspect out there that has assaulted women in their residences, and we want the public to be aware of that fact. They deserve to be aware of it.”

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City officials said the string of “hot-prowl” incidents do not necessarily fly in the face of Simi Valley’s image and status as the city in the United States with the lowest violent crime rate.

“Just because we’re a safe city, we’re not crime-free,” Councilman Paul Miller, the city’s former police chief, said Saturday. “And people should never be lulled into a false sense that, because we are the city with the lowest crime rate, that it’s a safe place, because it has its hazards.”

Councilwoman Sandi Webb acknowledged, “When we put out something like that [warning], it can be scary, but we have to warn people.

“They have to know that it’s out there and know how to take precautions and know what to look for,” Webb added. “I think that’s how we maintain being a safe city, because we’re not afraid to get out and tell people.”

These are the crimes that led to Saturday’s warning:

* Sept. 2, 1996, 2:13 a.m.: A man enters a home in the city’s west end and subdues and rapes a 19-year-old woman. Other family members are asleep inside, but the woman cannot alert them until the attack is over and the man has fled. Police believe he entered through an unlocked door or window.

* Sept. 26, 1996, 1:49 a.m.: A 23-year-old woman is awakened at home in the 1200 block of Royal Avenue when a male intruder puts his hands around her neck. She resists and the man flees, leaving her with minor scratches on her neck but otherwise unharmed. Police label the case a burglary and attempted rape. Here, also, police say the attacker entered through an unlocked window or door.

* Jan. 12, 3:35 a.m.: A 21-year-old woman sleeping in her home in the neighborhood between Sycamore Drive and Tapo Canyon Road is awakened by a man putting his hand over her mouth. She resists, and he flees in an unknown direction. This, too, is labeled a burglary and attempted rape.

* June 14, 4 a.m.: A man removes a window screen and forces open a window on a house north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway between Erringer Road and Sycamore Drive, where several people are sleeping. Armed with a knife, he attacks an 18-year-old woman as she is sleeping but flees on foot when the residents are awakened. The young woman is unhurt.

In each case, patrol officers and K-9 units rushed to search the neighborhood around the victims, but found no trace of the prowler.

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In the latest case, Wright said, the victim described her assailant as a teenager or young man, possibly white, 5 feet 7 inches tall and wearing dark clothing.

Wright said that Simi Valley detectives hope that the profile of the suspect they developed with the Department of Justice and the FBI may produce some leads:

* He is probably single and, if he does not live alone, depends on the people he lives with for financial support.

* He is not accountable for his time during late-night and early morning hours.

* He is accountable for time during daylight hours because of commitments to friends, family, school or an employer.

* He will not confess the crimes but will follow the investigation through media reports and conversation with neighbors.

* He may offer explanations or speculate on reasons for the assaults.

* He is familiar with and comfortable in Simi Valley because of past or present residence, employment, schooling or frequent visits there.

* Those who know him do not view him as a “sex offender,” but do see him as a quiet, shy and controlled loner who minds his own business.

* He has not been successful in long-term relationships with women his own age.

* He may have a criminal record, including peeping, obscene phone calls, burglary, trespassing or indecent exposure.

*If working, he has a job that does not involve much public contact.

Police say that people around the suspect may have noticed him being increasingly nervous and agitated since the most recent assault. And they say it is likely he has become increasingly withdrawn, to the point of canceling appointments or missing a day or two of work after the incident.

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He also continues to be a threat not only to strangers but to friends and family and could even strike out against someone close to him, police say.

“Hopefully, [the public] will take the simple prevention techniques and lock their windows and doors and be aware this does occur,” Wright said. “And hopefully, someone will come forward with the information to help us arrest this suspect and make this city as safe as possible.”

Anyone with information on these or similar incidents is encouraged to call Sgt. Andy McCluskey at 583-6955. Other incidents can be reported by calling the department’s main number at 583-6950, and emergencies should be reported by dialing 911, police said.

For information on crime-prevention techniques, call the Simi Valley Crime Prevention Unit at 583-6950.