Police Probe Possible Link in Centreville Assaults

An unknown man entered a woman's bedroom in the Centreville area early Sunday and fondled her before fleeing, Fairfax County police said yesterday. The case was similar in several ways to another assault in Centreville one week earlier.

In the more recent attack, an 18-year-old woman was sleeping in her apartment in the 14000 block of Franklin Fox Drive, near New Braddock Road and Route 28, about 2:30 a.m., police said. She told detectives that she woke and found the man standing over her. He "touched her inappropriately," then ran when she screamed, police said.

Police said the man apparently entered the apartment through an unlocked sliding glass door.

In the earlier case, on May 10, police said a 16-year-old Centreville girl woke up about 3:30 a.m. to find a man standing in her room. The teenager, who lives in a home near Old Centreville and Flamborough roads, screamed when the man touched her inappropriately, police said. The man then fled.

Again, police determined that the suspect entered the residence through an unlocked door. To thwart future attacks, authorities urged residents to lock all doors and windows in their homes before going to bed.

The two victims described the intruder differently. In the first case, the 16-year-old said her attacker was about 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed about 200 pounds. He wore sweat pants, a T-shirt and a ball cap, she told police.

The 18-year-old victim told police the man who touched her was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 180 pounds. He appeared to be 25 to 30 years old with curly brown shoulder-length hair, she said, and was wearing a white jacket with dark stripes.

Police issued a composite sketch based on the 18-year-old's description and asked anyone with information about either incident to call Fairfax County police at 703-691-2131 or contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477; by e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org; or by text-messaging "TIP187" plus a message to CRIMES/274637.