Early Tuesday morning, a woman was the victim of violent sexual assault at the hands of a man who entered her unlocked east side Madison home.
Madison police reported the suspect was seen earlier in the week by residents near Jana Lane, located several blocks away from East Towne Mall. Police Public Information Officer Mike Hanson said there are several leads from witnesses in the neighborhood. However, the suspect fled on foot and has not yet been apprehended by police.
""It does appear that he has been lurking around the area, looking in windows and acting suspiciously for several days,"" Hanson said.
The diverse neighborhood around Jana Lane has never seen a crime of this nature before. Ald. Santiago Rosas, District 17, said he was surprised such a violent crime occurred and that crimes of this nature would not be tolerated again on the east side.
Police said the woman was injured as a result of the attack.
Kelly Anderson, executive director of the Dane County Rape Crisis Center, said it is important not to think that stranger assaults, although dramatic and frightening for the victim, are the most common sexual assault to occur.
""The reality is that on the UW campus most students are victimized by an acquaintance,"" Anderson said. ""We want to keep the message in a balance from where the assaults are coming from.""
Anderson also said the general silence the public has about sex, and the reality that the crime is carried out through sex, is one reason why only 5 percent of undergraduate women ever report a crime.
""We as a society often judge what victims do and don't do,"" Anderson said. ""This often gives us a way to say that an assault will never happen to us if we do what they didn't.""
Hanson said police were able to get identification information about the east-side suspect from the victim and are making a concerted effort to bring the suspect to justice for his crime.
""We are acutely aware of what is going on in the neighborhood and are pulling resources into that area,"" Hanson said.
But Rosas was not as confident as the police. He said he is worried about the possibility that the suspect hails from the area and could still harm local residents.
""This is the first in the neighborhood,"" said Rosas of the sexual assault. ""And I am very concerned that this will import concern and fear in especially the single parents in the neighborhood.""
