Police are still tracking down leads while residents remain
vigilant despite two weeks without a new incident in the string of
stalking reports and possible attempted sexual assaults this
fall.
Police are still tracking down leads while residents remain vigilant despite two weeks without a new incident in the string of stalking reports and possible attempted sexual assaults this fall.
Gilroy was beset by six suspicious incidents involving men in white vehicles from early August through mid-October. Police have not made any arrests in connection with the incidents, the last of which occurred Oct. 17. However, police hope they will find vehicles that match witness descriptions and expect to release suspect sketches soon.
“We take these (incidents) very seriously and we’re working on them daily,” Sgt. Jim Gillio said.
Witnesses said an October stalker who watched or approached the same 10-year-old girl three separate times outside her house on Alder Street in southwest Gilroy drove a white two-door sedan with a dent on the driver’s-side door.
Witnesses in three separate attempted sexual assaults from early August to mid-September reported a suspect in a marred white truck or van. Police have crisscrossed Gilroy taking photos of vehicle matching these descriptions and shown them to witnesses for identification.
In addition, police completed several suspect sketches using witness descriptions. However, they will not release the sketches until all witnesses have seen or contributed to them, Gillio said.
The decrease in incidents could signal that the perpetrator or perpetrators – described by witnesses as a dark-skinned adult male with black hair and a moustache – left the area, Gillio said.
“Any number of things could have happened with this guy,” he said. “He could have been arrested for another crime, he could have moved on because of the publicity.”
However, this has not decreased police effort, Gillio said.
“We operating under the assumption that he’s still here and could do this again,” he said.
Residents should also operate under this assumption, said Emma Lucas, assistant director for Solutions to Violence. The program, which educates people on violence prevention and supports victims of violence, is run by Morgan-Hill nonprofit Community Solutions.
“We encourage parents to speak to their children about these situations and how they want them to respond,” she said.
Residents of Alder Street and nearby Wisteria Drive have already taken this advice to heart. The night of the third stalking incident, a group of parents organized a neighborhood meeting with a police officer to educate students on sexual assault protection.
In addition, parents have role-played sexual assault situations with their children to prepare them.
The residents, like the police, are dedicated to preventing another incident, said mother of three and meeting organizer Melissa Bermea. The next step in their fight is to collect $234, which they will use to purchase six Neighborhood Watch signs.
That way, would-be perpetrators will know residents are paying attention and reporting suspicious vehicles to police, Bermea said.
“Everybody here is alert,” she said. “Antennas are up.”
