PCSO searching for suspects in brutal sexual assault
Dec 16, 2013, 10:36 PM | Updated: 10:37 pm
PHOENIX — Officers in Pinal County are searching for three men they believe are responsible for a brutal sexual assault.
On Sunday morning, a 34-year-old Oracle, Ariz., woman was grabbed by two men on her porch and forced into a black pickup truck where a third man was waiting, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said.
Once inside the truck, Babeu said they drove the woman out into the desert and assaulted her.
“She was taken out into a remote area of the desert and sexually assaulted, raped and badly beaten,” he said.
After the attack, the three men left her in the desert, where she walked until she found help from a jogger who called the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
“She was found early morning [Sunday] with sparse clothing,” Babeu said.
The woman sustained severe injuries in the attack and was transported to a Tucson hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.
Babeu said while an attack such as this is unusual, he is concerned that it might not be the men’s first offense — or their last.
“For them to do something like this, they possibly have done this before, and they would likely strike again if they’re not caught,” he said.
Babeu said his office is working to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies for help with the investigation, but he is also asking the public for help in identifying the men.
The sheriff said all three men are white males between the ages of 30 and 40 years old.
One man was described as heavy and wearing a red, long sleeve T-shirt and blue jeans. The second is believed to have a medium build, a mustache and was wearing a light blue T-shirt with blue jeans. The third was described as having a medium build and wearing jogging clothes — believed to be Nike brand with a reflective emblem.
“Any information, if someone may know of this or these three suspects, or the black truck in Oracle in Pinal County, please give us a call,” Babeu said.