VENTURA : ‘East End Prowler’ Sought in Assaults

Ventura police are piecing together information that they hope will lead to the arrest of a man who is believed to be responsible for a string of recent assaults, authorities said.

The man, dubbed the “East End Prowler” by police, may have assaulted several people in as many as five separate incidents in the past few weeks, said Sgt. Robert Anderson. It’s still too early, however, to identify the assailant in all five cases as the same individual, he said.

No arrests have been made, but police say they have a suspect.

“We know very clearly who we’re looking for,” said Officer Graham Jeffrey.

The latest incident involved a 35-year-old Ventura woman who was sexually assaulted at her residence Friday morning. Police said a man broke into the residence shortly after 5 a.m. Jeffrey said the woman told police the man jumped on her while she was in bed and tried to force an unknown object into her mouth.

The suspect then fled the house through the back door, Jeffrey said.

Police believe the assailant was the East End Prowler because “he really fits the bill,” Jeffrey said. He said previous incidents involved children, but Friday’s assault was the “most definite case” of sexual assault for which the man is under suspicion.

Anderson said most of the assaults have been minor.