Brandon Twp.- Police are seeking the public’s help in finding a man who attempted to sexually assault a woman in the Sashabaw Meadows Mobile Home Park.
According to police reports, at about 12:45 a.m., Feb. 13, the 25-year-old victim was sleeping and alone at her home in the 3600 block of Pinoak when the suspect straddled her in her bed and placed a pillow over her face. He then place his forearm across her throat, applied pressure and tried to remove the victim’s clothing.
The woman fought back, scratching the suspect in his face and forearm. He fled the residence and ran on foot to the south. Oakland County Sheriff’s Office depu-ties responded, including a K-9 unit, but the track went cold on Sashabaw Road. The OCSO forensic lab personnel responded and processed the scene for possible DNA evidence.
During the investigation, police learned a neighbor witnessed the suspect in the area. The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-30s, 5?8? to 5?10? tall, about 160-170 pounds, with dark eyes and dark hair that hung below a black knit hat he wore. He was also wearing a black or dark long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans, and over the shirt wore a navy blue mechanics type jacket without patches. The suspect also had facial hair with a ?5 o’clock shadow, scruffy look.? Forensic Lab Artist Barb Martin Bailey has completed a composite sketch.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP. A reward of $1,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.
‘I would encourage the public to contact us if they believe they know the person in the sketch, and also contact us if they see a suspicious person walking around the homes in the area,? said OCSO Detective Chris Pacholski.
Crimes of this type are extremely uncommon in the area, Pacholski said. He recalled one other attempted sexual assault since he has worked here that bore some striking similarities to this case: In that instance, occurring on Sept. 5, 2007, a woman in her mid-20s was asleep on the couch with her 2-year-old daughter in their home in the 3700 block of Red Bud Lane in the Clarkston Lakes Mobile Home Park, adjacent to the Sashabaw Meadows Mobile Home Park. She was awakened by a window breaking and encountered a man later identified as Michael Lee Friske, 26. He was armed with an edged weapon and a struggle ensued, during which she managed to get a door between them and escape the home with her child.
Friske, who was a neighbor of the victim, but a stranger to her, pleaded guilty after evidence left at the scene led to his arrest.
He is currently serving 10-20 years in prison.