TMCnet News
UPDATE: 3 armed intruder reports may be connectedCLINTON, Nov 21, 2009 (Clinton Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Clinton police confirmed Friday that two reports of an armed intruder were made in Clinton early Wednesday morning, following a robbery and sexual assault in Fulton around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Clinton and Fulton police have not confirmed that the incidents in the two cities are connected, but have released similar descriptions of the suspect, who is still at large. The Clinton Police Department, Fulton Police Department, Illinois State Police and Whiteside County Sheriff's Department are collaborating on an investigation of the incidents. Fulton police responded at 1:01 a.m. Tuesday to a Fulton apartment on 10th Avenue for reports of a home invasion, armed robbery and aggravated criminal sexual assault. An armed intruder allegedly forced his way into the apartment, robbed and sexually assaulted the resident. The woman was treated and released at Mercy North Hospital in Clinton. A resident in the 200 block of 18th Place in Clinton reported an armed intruder gained entry to their home at 3:50 a.m. on Wednesday and demanded money. The victim reported no injuries. Just over an hour later at 5 a.m., a woman reported a sexual assault by an armed intruder at a home in the 600 block of North Fourth Street in Clinton. Police did not say if the woman was injured. The area law enforcement agencies investigating the incidents met for much of the day Friday and are pursuing leads on the case. Clinton Police Chief Brian Guy said it's possible the incidents are connected. According to Clinton police, the suspect wanted in connection with the Clinton incidents is a tall, slender black male armed with a handgun. Police reports from the Fulton incident indicate that the suspect is a black male in his early to mid 20s, between 5 foot, 8 inches and 6 feet tall, with black hair and brown eyes, no facial hair and a thin build. Residents in the Clinton and Fulton areas are urged to keep their doors locked and immediately report suspicious activity to law enforcement. Chris Baker, 57, who has lived in Clinton since 1964 and works in Fulton, said residents "are in a state of shock" over the news of the alleged incidents. She said eight or nine women have brought it up while shopping this week at the Sweet Woodruff Gift Gallery in downtown Fulton, where Baker works. "They'll be shopping and all of a sudden they hear somebody talking about it and they stop what they were doing," said Baker, who has family living in Fulton. Baker said she's confident that the suspect will "slip up" and be caught by police, but said the Fulton incident has left residents nervous. She said some of the women who shop at the store have said they're going to start keeping their doors locked. "They're in a state of shock, to be honest with you," she said. "That's the look on their faces. Just even talking about it gets your heart rate going." Fulton resident Pete Simpson, 76, said he's confident the police will make an arrest related to the incidents shortly. "They're going to catch him," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind." Simpson said he's never locked his door in the 30 years he's been living in Fulton. "I've never heard of anything happening," he said. "Not much happens in Fulton." Clinton residents with any information on the incidents are encouraged to call the Clinton Police Department at 243-1458, or Clinton County CrimeStoppers at 242-6595. Fulton-area residents can call Lt. Donnie Pridemore at Fulton Police Department at (815) 589-3617, or Whiteside County CrimeStoppers at 1-877-625-7867. To see more of Clinton Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.clintonherald.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Clinton Herald, Iowa Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |