By Khalida Sarwari
Santa Cruz police are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man who sexually assaulted a 69-year-old woman at her home in Santa Cruz Wednesday morning.
Officers responded to a report of a sexual assault around 7:15 a.m. in the 100 block of West Cliff Drive.
According to police, between 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., a man wearing dark clothing and a ski mask entered the woman’s home through an unlocked door and then bound, gagged and sexually assaulted her, causing injuries to her face.
She was taken to a hospital to be treated for facial injuries. Police said she is in stable condition.
According to police, no weapon was seen during the attack.
The suspect is a white male between 20 to 30-years-old. He is around 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build. Police did not know which direction the suspect fled.
Police are increasing patrols in the area and coordinating with the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women to distribute alert posters to residents in the area.
Specialists from the state Department of Justice are assisting in gathering DNA evidence and fingerprints from the home.
Anyone with information is asked to call the investigations section of the Police Department at (831) 420-5820. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call the tip line at (831) 420-5995.
Residents interested in contributing to the Police Department’s Community Assistance Reward Fund may send checks payable to “The City of Santa Cruz” with “CARE Fund” in the memo line. Checks can be sent to the Santa Cruz Police Department, located at 155 Center St., Santa Cruz, CA, 95060.