From the archives: East Area Rapist strikes again in Modesto

Editor's Note: This story appeared in The Bee on June 24, 1978. It was written by Bee Staff Writer Daryl Farnsworth.

Sacramento's East Area Rapist has struck for the second time in a month in Modesto, both times in the northeast part or the city.

A young Modesto couple who told police that they locked all the doors and windows of their northeast Modesto home before going to bed Thursday night were victims of the rapist's l5th attack, police said Friday.

It was within a mile of the rapist's first attack in Modesto.

Again, the victims' accounts followed the pattern police recognize as that of the East Area Rapist.

The latest victims told detectives that they were awakened about 1:30 Friday morning by a man wearing a ski mask who shined a flashlight beam in their eyes. They said the man was armed with a knife and. revolver.

Police Chief Gerald L. McKinsey said the woman was raped but there was no other physical injury to the man or woman.

There were no children in the house as there have been during other attacks.

McKinsey dispelled rumors that the rapist uses a knife to "mutilate" many of his victims.

The rapist gained entry to the newly constructed, single-story home located just north of Sylvan Avenue and between McHenry Avenue and Coffee Road.

The areas surrounding the homes in both Modesto rapes are in various stages of construction and there are numerous vacant houses nearby.

McKinsey said the rapist entered the victim's home Friday morning through an aluminum-frame sliding glass window which opens into the kitchen area and is designed to lock automatically. The window had not been forced open, McKinsey said, but the couple told detectives they were positive they had locked it before retiring.

The rapist managed to crawl through the window and walk to a rear bedroom where the couple was sleep­ing without awakening a dog also sleeping in the house, McKinsey said. The rapist ordered the woman to tie her husband's hands and feet with shoelaces and then the rapist tied her in the same fashion. Both victims were blindfolded.

The rapist then spent about 45 min­utes wandering through the home ransacking drawers and closets. The couple said that he would return to the bedroom where they were bound and tell them he was checking on them and that if they tried to untie them­ selves he would kill them.

When he finished going through the house the rapist returned to the bed room and placed a cup and saucer on the husband's back and then took the woman into another room where he raped her. The rapist reportedly was in the house about an hour and a half and left left immediately after raping the woman.

As he has done in so many other attacks in Sacramento and Stockton, the rapist took souvenirs. The couple said the rapist took their wedding bands and a revolver that he found in the house.

The couple was able to untie themselves and call police. Police said they found a side gate leading from the victims' backyard to the front yard standing open. The victims said they had closed the gate the night before. Detectives believe the rapist either entered the victims' yard or left through the gate.

Authorities in Sacramento say the rapist has struck there 31 times, and twice each in Stockton and Modesto.

Sacramento police traveled to Modesto Friday to talk to the victims and MPD Detective Fred Vaughn, who is investigating the two Modesto attacks.

Vaughn said the victims described the rapist as about 6 feet tall and slen­der with blonde hair. They said he was wearing a ski mask and gloves. Vaughn said the composite picture of the suspect may not be completely accurate and explained that the facial description was compiled by police from victims who never actually saw the suspect's face without a ski mask on.

"The suspect never takes the ski mask off where he can be seen by the victims," Vaughn said. "The only time victims have seen the suspect is when they get a quick glance and it's usually in dim light or darkness.

"The rapist tells the victims not to look at them and threatens them with bodily harm if they try," Vaughn added.

Vaughn said he knows of no cases where the husband or boyfriend has been sexually assaulted or abused by the suspect.

Detective Sharon Plante, who has been assigned to present rape aware­ness and defense seminars, told a group of about 100 women last week that the East Area Rapist's main goal is to rape the woman and that he nev­er has assaulted the man other than with threatening remarks.

The rapist's first Modesto attack occurred in the early morning hours of June 5 in a subdivision near the intersection of McHenry and Standi­ford avenues.

Police said he entered through an unlocked sliding glass door. In that case the suspect stole more than $1,500 in cash. Police say they are no closer now to catching the rapist than they were two years ago when he committed his first rape in Sacramento.

Detectives say the rapist has the quietness·of a cat burglar and that he may be able to walk along the top of fences to reach his victims' yards.

The Stanislaus County sheriff's of­fice investigated an attempted bur­glary in Salida about l :30 a.m. Friday in which a burglar wearing a ski mask was discovered as he was trying to climb in through the front window.

Sheriff's deputies are discounting the possibility that the burglar was the rapist. "l don't think it's the East Area Rapist unless he's changing his method of operation," said Detective Sgt. Richard Breshears.

Breshears said the burglar had removed a screen from the front window of a house, located in a rural area, and that he was trying to crawl inside when the owner of the house confronted him.

The owner told police he was awak­ened by the barking of his dog. He said he saw the silhouette of a man walking outside his bedroom window. The man grabbed a rifle when he heard the burglar at the front window.

When the burglar saw the resident he fled on foot and was pursued by the resident. About a block away the resi­dent told deputies the burglar turned around and fired one shot at him but that he didn't return the fire. Instead, he ran back to his house and called the sheriff’s office.

He said he heard the burglar up a motorcycle and speed away.

This story was originally published April 25, 2018 at 1:15 PM with the headline "From the archives: East Area Rapist strikes again in Modesto."