Police probe 2 reported assaults

Girl, 15, and woman, 46, say they didn’t know their attackers

A 15-year-old girl was assaulted during a possible rape attempt by a group of unknown males near the high school Monday evening and authorities have made no arrests, the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.

In an apparently unrelated incident, a Crescent City woman reported being raped by a stranger early last Saturday, according to the Crescent City Police Department. No arrest has been made in that case, either.

The teen was assaulted by three to five males in a field near Del Norte High School, said sheriff’s Detective Ed Fleshman, who added, “There’s additional stuff that we’re looking into that would indicate sexual assault.”

“It doesn’t appear that she knew them,” said Fleshman about the  assailants. “The assault was ended when a Good Samaritan interrupted.”

Authorities do not know the identity of the man who broke up the assault,  which was reported at 9:22 p.m., but would like to hear from him, Fleshman said.

“This person may have information that can help this case,” he said.

The girl was treated at Sutter Coast Hospital for moderate injuries and released, Fleshman said.

Anyone with information about the assault is asked to call Fleshman at  the  Sheriff’s Office, 464-4191.

In the earlier case, a woman, 46, called police at 4:48 a.m. Saturday from the Front Street Inn, 102 L St., and reported being raped.

The woman said that “an individual had basically pushed her from behind, knocking her down to the ground, and rolled her over and raped her,” said Police Chief Douglas Plack.

The exact location of the incident is  not known because the victim was intoxicated and could not remember, said Plack.

The chief said the victim described her assailant as smelling like raw fish.

She said she did not know him, Plack said.

The woman was taken to Sutter Coast Hospital, where she was treated and released, said police Detective Keith Doyle.

According to call logs, a bulletin was issued Wednesday afternoon by Crescent City police for local authorities to be on the lookout for the man suspected of the Saturday assault.

Plack said the bulletin was issued for a slender man, 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, in a black or dark grey hoodie sweat shirt with no zipper and sweat pants.

Authorities do not believe there is a connection between the two assaults, Doyle said.

Neither the Sheriff’s Office nor the Police Department issued a public statement about either incident until they were contacted by The Triplicate on Thursday.

Regarding the Saturday assault, Plack said Thursday that “at the time there was no reason to prematurely announce it because I did not feel the community was at risk.”

Sheriff Dean Wilson could not be reached for comment Thursday regarding the Monday attack that is being investigated by his office.

Sheriff’s Detective Fleshman said that Del Norte residents “should probably be implementing common sense steps, be more aware of their surroundings, be going someplace with a purpose and not go out at night alone.”