BY KEITH EPPS
Fredericksburg police are investigating an incident that occurred early yesterday morning in which two mentally-impaired women were violently sexually assaulted in an apartment they share.
The attack occurred at the Commons at Cowan Boulevard, next to the police station, according to city police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe.
About six hours earlier, a woman in that same area was punched in the face by a stranger as she was walking her dog. It was not immediately clear if the two incidents were related.
According to police, the sexual-assault victims are in their late 40s, unrelated and live in one of the block of apartments the Rappahannock Area Community Service Board rents for mentally impaired adults. A supervisor lives in one of the apartments and assists the residents.
At about 1 a.m. Friday, one of the victims answered a knock on the door. She thought she knew the man, so she opened the door, police said.
The man, who did not display a weapon, attacked both women before leaving. One of the victims then went to another resident's home, and that resident called 911. Bledsoe said that because of communication difficulties, police did not realize what had occurred until responding to the 911 call.
Bledsoe said police had a hard time getting a description of the suspect because of the women's condition.
But police believe the suspect is an Asian male with a thin build and might have tattoos.
Police were at the apartment yesterday collecting DNA and other evidence. The victims were treated for their injuries at Mary Washington Hospital.
The face-punching incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the 2200 block of Cowan Boulevard, Bledsoe said.
The 51-year-old victim was walking her dog behind the Monticello apartments when a man came from behind, spun her around and hit her in the face. The woman screamed, and the suspect ran off.
The victim had swelling and bruising on her cheek, but declined rescue squad assistance. She told police the incident happened so fast she didn't get a good look at the suspect, who was described only as a tall, thin man wearing dark clothing who smelled of alcohol.
Bledsoe said police believe the attack was random and don't know if the attacker planned anything more than the assault.
Anyone with information on either incident is asked to call city police at 540/373-3122.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com