Madison police cautioned residents Monday about a man still at large who they believe is responsible for three violent sexual assaults throughout the past year.
According to police, the person they are seeking is a black male, 25 to 35 years old and about 5'10. Madison police detectives linked this alleged perpetrator to three sexual assaults dating back to December 2006. The latest one occurred last Wednesday on the 2900 block of Turbot Drive, located just south of the Beltline near Fish Hatchery Road.
Police said the victim, a 27-year-old Madison woman, told them a stranger kicked in her door around 3 a.m. Wednesday. Police reported the man proceeded to beat the woman with his fists and knees, momentarily strangling the woman, and eventually sexually assaulting her. The victim also told police she feared for her life, but the man left her home.
The victim suffered several facial fractures, chipped teeth and numerous cuts and bruises, police said.
Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said stranger assaults are quite uncommon in the city. Still, he said the violent nature of the three assaults coupled with the fact that they are linked to one man is a cause for concern for the whole city.
""We don't want to scare people,"" DeSpain said, ""but we do want people to be vigilant.""
DeSpain said he could not go into how detectives linked the three assaults back to the same unknown man but noted behaviors and descriptions provided by the victims were similar.
The previous two assaults happened on the Far East side of town. The first reported assault came on Dec. 5, 2006 on Jana Lane. The second reported assaulted happened less than two months ago and only a few blocks from the first location.
Police urge anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014.
