HPD releases sketch of person wanted for October sex assault and robbery in southeast Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston woman said she was sexually assaulted and robbed inside her apartment, and her attacker may have been as young as 14 years old.

According to the Houston Area Women's Center, these kinds of attacks happen at the hands of someone the victim knows 90% of the time.

In this case, it was a stranger. That's why people living near NRG Stadium said they are on high alert until Houston police find and arrest him.

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"I go to work, come home, and when I get off, I just make sure I lock all my doors. I don't come out. I don't do all that," Alicia Williams said.

She has lived in the neighborhood for only about a year, but the news of an attack at an apartment complex nearby isn't surprising.

A woman reported that a black male between 14 and 19 years old with short, spiky hair forced her into her apartment with a gun, sexually assaulted her, and then robbed her back on Oct. 13. The alleged attack happened near the intersection of West Bartell and Westridge in the middle of the afternoon.

"It's a lot of crime going on over here, anyway," said Williams.

Data from the ABC13 Neighborhood Safety Tracker shows the sexual assault rate per 100,000 people in the 77054 zip code has increased since 2019.

The rate of 76.7 is much higher than the rate for the rest of the city, which is 68. Advocates with the Houston Area Women's Center said safety practices could reduce the risk, but prevention starts with conversations that can be had over the holidays.

"It is a space and a time to recognize that, as we gather with family and friends, how common sexual violence is," Aly Jacobs, the center's director of counseling and advocacy said. "It really is a space to start having those conversations about what a healthy relationship looks like."

The Houston Area Women's Center provides support 24/7 through their website and their hotline: 713-528-7273. They specialize in connecting survivors with the resources they need.

Houston police are still searching for the suspect accused in October's attack. There is a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Information can be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

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