Petaluma police pursue leads in rape case

As an unknown suspect remains at large after a brazen rape reported in the quiet Petaluma neighborhood of Westridge last month, more than 100 people eager for new information filled the gym at nearby Grant Elementary School for a community meeting with police on Tuesday.

Sgt. Ed Crosby of the Petaluma Police Department told attendees that investigators were following several leads, and hoped that findings from DNA evidence in the coming weeks might point them toward a suspect. Yet the 20-year Petaluma officer acknowledged to the group that the ongoing investigation would give only partial comfort to residents shaken by the recent incident.

“I know there’s nothing I can tell you to feel better until the suspect is in custody. We’re working to that end,” he said.

Two weeks ago, on the morning of Sept. 18, law enforcement swarmed the west Petaluma neighborhood in search of a man reported to have sexually assaulted a woman in her Eckmann Place home. The man was said to have been waiting inside the home when the woman returned from dropping off her children at Grant Elementary. The woman reported that he restrained and assaulted her.

The first officer arrived within “six-to-seven minutes,” part of a response that quickly grew to seven officers and a trained police dog, said Joel Stemmer, the Petaluma detective leading the investigation. The suspect, described as white, taller than six feet and with a pot belly, was not located. A man detained on I Street that morning did not match the assailant, the victim said according to police.

Police said the suspect, who wore a mask, did not appear to know the victim.

“It appears to be a random act,” Stemmer said.

Lab tests to identify DNA collected at the scene have “been pushed to the front of the line” at the California Department of Justice, and findings will be checked against databases of known criminals in California and elsewhere, police said. Police are investigating multiple leads in the meantime, Crosby said.

Many at the community meeting identified themselves as residents of the area, and asked police about the methods of their investigation and the likelihood that the suspect or another assailant could return to the same vicinity to strike again. Crosby said such crimes were rare in Petaluma, yet cautioned residents to take some safety precautions like locking their doors.

“This is not a small town anymore,” Crosby said.

One resident lamented the ripple effect that the incident has had for the community.

“I’m hoping people don’t hole up in their houses in fear,” said the resident, who declined to give her name. “I’m hoping they come out and pull together to support each other”

Such gestures of support were evident shortly after the incident, when community members took part in multiple gatherings to show solidarity with the victim and their fellow neighbors. It was reminiscent of the community response to an unsolved 2010 assault on a female runner on I Street, when dozens took part in an early-morning run as a show of support.

Still, the incident has had an impact.

“I think more people are locking their doors now,” said Emily Dunnagan Todd, principal at Grant Elementary School.

Concerns have emerged from some residents questioning whether the community’s tailspin has been the result of a hoax. Crosby said there was currently no evidence to support those concerns, and that police were fully investigating the incident.

“As far as we are concerned, this is a legitimate case. We proceed under that assumption,” he said.

Petaluma police reiterated their call for any information that could help support the case. Those with information are asked to contact Detective Joel Stemmer at 778-4532.

(Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.)