APD: Woman attacked on school grounds

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Parents, students and homeowners in South Austin are on high alert after a woman told police a stranger dragged her onto the campus of Odom Elementary School and sexually assaulted her.

Austin police say the 56-year-old woman was walking near the intersection of Sahara Avenue and Emerald Forest Drive around 3:30 a.m when it happened. She told police the man was walking toward her going the opposite direction when he grabbed her and pulled her onto the school grounds.

It was still dark outside, but the woman was able to recall the following physical description for police:

• white man
• in his 20s
• 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall
• strong medium build
• light blond naturally wavy to curly hair
• wearing dark clothing

There is a surveillance camera near the crime scene that could have captured a shot of the suspect. The Austin school district turned the tape over to Austin police and detectives are going through the video.

It was still dark outside, and there are not many lights pointing toward the area on the north side of the campus where police say the attack happened.

Dora Guerrero was going door to door Tuesday night passing out flyers to her neighbors to educate them on what happened.

"There's a woman in every house here and we need to let them know what's going on," said Guerrero.

Police say there could be a suspect sketch to share with the public by the end of the week.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the APD Sex Crime Unit at 512-974-5230 or CrimeStoppers at 512-472-TIPS, or text "Tip 103" plus your message to CRIMES. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 if a tip leads to an arrest or charges being filed.