Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SANDY — Police asked for help from the public Thursday to identify a man who they said attempted to gag and sexually assault a woman at a community pool.
The woman was sunbathing when the man approached her from behind and covered her mouth with an object in an attempt to gag her at about 3 p.m. on Sept. 25, according to the Sandy Police Department. Sgt. Dean Carriger said it was a planned attack.
“(The man) spent about five to 10 minutes watching the woman as she was laying by the pool. She had headphones in and was listening to music,” he said. “He spent time watching her and then went through the clubhouse, looking as if he was checking to see if anyone was there.
“He looked for objects, picking several things up and putting them down, ultimately grabbing a soft tissue-type object and went out to the pool, approached the woman from behind, put the object over her mouth and started sexually assaulting her, groping her.”
The woman was able to get away from the man after turning over and fighting back, according to investigators. They said they believe the man, who ran away after the attack, lives in the area or visits it frequently.
The entire incident was caught on video, police said. The community pool is located at 8330 S. State Street.
“He went around and was methodical,” Carriger said. “It appeared he was thinking about what he was going to do and how he was going to do it before he actually attacked the woman.”
Investigators described the man as being of Hispanic descent with a dark complexion, olive skin and clean-shaven face. They said he was about 5-feet-8-inches tall and between 30 and 40 years old.
Anyone with information about the incident or identity of the man can contact the Sandy Police Department by calling the tipline at 801-568-4636 or submitting a tip online. Carriger said police are concerned the man is progressing in the amount of force he would use to assault a woman.
Contributing: Mary Richards
