Police working on composite of sexual assault suspect

VAIL- Police were working Monday on a composite sketch of a man they say sexually assaulted a woman at the Vail Village parking structure Saturday night.The alleged victim is a 29-year-old Denver woman who had parked her car in the third level of the parking structure next to the Vail Transportation Center, police said.”We can’t release any details on what kind of sexual assault it was because it’s an open investigation,” Vail Police Sgt. Susan Douglas said Monday. A sexual assault crime can include anything from rape to fondling. Police said the suspect attacked the woman at about 9 p.m. Saturday as she was retrieving personal items from the back seat of her car. The suspect approached her from behind and shoved her into the car, police said.The man then demanded the victim’s money, which she gave him, then pinned her in the back seat and sexually assaulted her, police said.Friends of the woman, whom she was meeting, saw her car and stopped. Upon approaching the car, they saw the assault occurring and scared the suspect away.

The suspect was last seen exiting the west end of the parking structure near the 8150 night club.One of the witnesses chased the suspect, who hit the witness in the face before getting away, police said.The woman was taken to the Vail Valley Medical Center, where a sexual assault test was performed on her, Douglas said. The witness hit by the suspect didn’t need medical attention, she added. Vail Police, which conducts regular patrols on foot and by car through the parking structure, has beefed-up patrols after the incident, Douglas said.”We are doing extra patrols, but we always encourage everyone to be aware of their surroundings,” she said. “Also, women shouldn’t walk in the structure alone.”Police have received some leads following the story in the Sunday and Monday editions of the Vail Daily, according to Douglas. Police have had several sexual assault reports this year, mostly at hotels and private residences, Douglas said.

‘We see it more frequently at night time when there’s less people,” she added.But Douglas said there’s nothing in recent history of sexual assault in the parking structure. “Vail is relatively a safe community,” she said. “But you still need to be aware that crime can happen anywhere you travel.”Staff Writer Veronica Whitney can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 454 or vwhitney@vaildaily.com. At a glanceSuspect profile

Police said the suspect is a white man in his early 20s with a thin build, approximately 5 feet 10 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall with dirty blond hair shaved on the sides with a Mohawk-style strip of hair down the center. The suspect was last seen wearing a dark jacket, white T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, white tennis shoes and a large silver chain around his neck. If you have any information regarding this incident, call the Vail Police Department at 479-2200.==============================================Vail, Colorado