Thread: Serial rapist in Jones County? Three elderly women raped

Published September 10, 2007 11:26 am -

The rape this week of another elderly woman in Sandersville has law enforcement officials concerned that a serial rapist could be on the loose in Jones County.

See artist sketch here:
http://www.leadercall.com/local/local_s ... 12638.html

Three rapes of elderly women has local officials concerned

From Staff and Wire Reports

The rape this week of another elderly woman in Sandersville has law enforcement officials concerned that a serial rapist could be on the loose in Jones County.

[b]Three attacks have occurred within a 10-mile radius since April and all three elderly victims claim a Hispanic male was the assailant. A fourth rape reported two years ago may be connected.

“Three victims said the assailant spoke broken English, and the other said it was hard to understand what he said. I think these women were raped by the same person,â€

News of rapist alarms town
By SUSAN LAKES

SANDERSVILLE - News that a serial rapist might have claimed his latest victim in Sandersville has kept law enforcement busy chasing tips, the county supervisors pledging reward money and residents wondering how something so terrible could happen in their town of 1,000.

"Ever since the rape, everybody is scared," Sandersville Police Chief Ronnie Parker said.

"They're running me ragged. It's the first time something like this has happened in Sandersville and it's woke a lot of people up."

After someone broke into the home of an 81-year-old woman on Sept. 6 and raped her, police have stepped up patrols and are stopping more strangers.

Jerry Pates knew the victim all his life. "This is just devastating to this small town," he said. "Seems like we're being challenged by outsiders - for the worst."

Authorities believe they may be dealing with a serial rapist as this is the third sexual assault of an elderly woman in Jones County this year.

Parker and the residents of Sandersville will reactivate an old neighborhood watch group that fell by the wayside years ago. "It's citizens on patrol," said the chief.

He'll supply the group with a radio, but no guns. "They'll be watching out and looking for anything," he said.

"I want this son of a gun had," Parker said.

Police are looking for a slender, middle-aged Hispanic male around 5 feet 8 inches tallin connection with three sexual assaults that happened within a 10-mile radius in Jones County this year.

The Jones County Sheriff's Office has been swamped with calls since an anonymous donor offered a $10,000 award earlier this week. The Jones County Supervisors added to the award by pledging $15,000 Tuesday.

"We follow every lead that comes in," said Carl Monk, chief investigator.

According to Monk, the state crime lab collected DNA samples at each of the three crime scenes.

The evidence from the Sandersville attack will be sent to a private lab rather than to the state crime lab, he said.

Monk said it takes the state too long to do the processing. A private lab, he said, can have results back in a month or sometimes less.

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