Police confirm fourth intruder report in a week

By Jeniece Smith

CLINTON — Clinton police confirmed this morning that a fourth intruder report in Clinton was made Monday night, following an alleged rape and robbery in Fulton on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and two alleged armed intruder reports in Clinton the following day.

According to Police Chief Brian Guy, a 21-year-old Clinton woman in the 900 block of North Fourth Street, reported a burglary by an unknown intruder to police just before 9 p.m. Monday.

Guy did not say if the victim was sexually assaulted or otherwise injured, but he confirmed she engaged in a struggle with the intruder, described as a black male about six feet tall, before the man fled the residence.

“There was a burglary to a residence, the victim was home, she fought with the intruder and that’s basically all the information we’re releasing right now,” Guy said. “There was a physical altercation between the suspect and the victim that she reported.”

Guy could not confirm if a weapon was involved, but said the Clinton Police Department is still interviewing the victim and obtaining background information. He said police are investigating the incident for connections to the three other intruder reports made in the last week.

“We don’t have a very good description at this point,” Guy said. “So again, that’s why we’re investigating more to find out whether or not there may be a connection with the other two intruder cases that we have, and whether or not there’s a connection with the one in Fulton.”

Fulton police responded at 1:01 a.m. Tuesday to a Fulton apartment on 10th Avenue for reports of a home invasion, armed robbery and aggravated criminal sexual assault. An armed intruder allegedly forced his way into the apartment, robbed and sexually assaulted the resident. The woman was treated and released at Mercy North Hospital in Clinton.

A resident in the 200 block of 18th Place in Clinton reported an armed intruder gained entry to her home at 3:50 a.m. Wednesday and demanded money. The victim reported no injuries.

Just more than an hour later at 5 a.m., a woman reported a sexual assault by an armed intruder at a home in the 600 block of North Fourth Street in Clinton. Police did not give the extent of the woman’s injuries.

According to Clinton police, the suspect wanted in connection with the Clinton reports made Nov. 18 is a tall, slender black male armed with a handgun. Police reports from the Fulton incident indicate that the suspect is a black male in his early to mid 20s, between 5 foot 8 inches and 6 feet tall, with black hair and brown eyes, no facial hair and a thin build.

The Illinois State Police, Iowa State Police, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office are assisting the Clinton Police Department and Fulton Police Department with the investigation.

Guy said the Clinton Police Department will hold a press conference Wednesday to update the public on the investigation and dispel misinformation, including a false rumor about an alleged sexual assault in Camanche.

“We can’t control the rumor mill, and these things take on a life of their own, and that’s unfortunate,” he said. “We’re concerned about the safety of the community, and that’s why we want to have a media conference to tell people what they can do.”

Guy said residents should report any hearsay to police so it can be verified or proven false, making it easier for police to pursue leads on the case.

“Primarily what they can do is provide us with information that they hear,” he said. “The rumor mill may be running rampant, but sometimes that information doesn’t get that filtered to the police department. So we need to know what the community is hearing and perhaps any suspect information that they may be hearing on the street so that we can investigate it.”

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