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Whit Johnson reporting Clearfield police are looking for a man who allegedly raped a teenage girl in an LDS church parking lot in broad daylight.
He's believed to be a man with a slender build in his mid-30s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, with blond hair, a mustache and goatee. Ever since police released the suspect's description, a number of tips have come in, some from as far away as Las Vegas. But they still need more help from the public as they try and locate a very dangerous criminal.
Clearfield resident Jo Garcia said, "It's a very, very quiet neighborhood with a lot of good people around here."
Sgt. Lee Potts, with the Clearfield Police Department, said, "It's a safe area. You've got a park nearby, church parking lot and a school just across the street."
For this Clearfield community, it was almost a normal Sunday morning. But as people filed into the LDS church on the 1800 block of South Main, news began to circulate about the rape of a teenage girl that allegedly happened in the parking lot, in broad daylight Friday afternoon.
Brice Burke, said, "Rapes and so forth, that's just not something that happens in this neighborhood."
According to police, after the victim dropped off a friend at a nearby apartment complex, she stopped in the parking lot of the LDS church to organize some items that rolled around in her car while driving. As she was distracted, that's when police say the suspect jumped in the car.
Sgt. Lee Potts said the suspect, "Held her there and sexually assaulted her, and then after the assault, he left."
According to the victim, her attacker was a light-skinned man with a slender build and facial hair. He also may have sustained an injury to his hand during the assault.
Investigators are analyzing DNA evidence, following up on tips and talking to the local church.
Trevor Wilson, a counselor in the LDS Stake Presidency there, said, "Gave us a description of the alleged perpetrator. Gave some basic background on the alleged incident that took place. We've taken that information and given it to our local ecclesiastical leaders."
Meanwhile, this Clearfield neighborhood is hoping police will soon have someone behind bars. "It just totally freaks me out. Nothing like this has ever happened around here, not ever," Garcia said.
Right now police are trusting the victim's story, that this was a rape by an unknown attacker. They say in the coming days, forensic evidence will give them a much clearer picture about what happened and perhaps who they're looking for.
