September 21, 2004
A 31-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in her Tempe apartment early Sunday by a man who entered through a door left open to allow cool air inside, said police Sgt. Dan Masters.
The woman left the patio door of her first floor apartment in the 1200 block of West Grove Parkway propped open before going to bed Saturday night.
At about 5 a.m. a man entered through the patio door and attacked the sleeping woman.
The man sexually assaulted the woman and then ran away, Masters said.
Because the man covered the woman’s face, she was unable to provide a description of her attacker.
He hasn’t been located, Masters said.
"She never saw him. She wasn’t able to look at him," Masters said.
Similar sexual assaults have occurred in Tempe in the past, during seasons when temperatures start to drop.
"As the weather begins to cool off, especially at night and in the early morning hours, we often see residences where windows and doors are left open and unsecured," Masters said.
"Sunday’s incident is a grim reminder for all of us to secure our residences, no matter how appealing and nice the weather may be," he said.
