In the latest of a string of Charlottesville burglaries, an unidentified intruder assaulted a woman in her apartment on the 1500 block of Broad Avenue Monday night at approximately 9:30 p.m., according to the Charlottesville Police.
The woman, a white female in her 50s, unlocked her front door, set a bag down inside and walked to her mailbox. Upon reentering, she encountered a man coming from her room and screamed as the man told her to be quiet. She was knocked to the floor, and her head was lacerated, according press release said.
The neighbors living above her reportedly heard her screams, dialed 911 and stomped on the floor, frightening the intruder away, Police Capt. Chip Harding said.
According to the release, the intruder was a black male between 20 and 30 years old, around 5'10", with close cut hair and was wearing a sleeveless, light-colored T-shirt at the time of the incident.
Police have yet to find a motive.
"We have no idea [who] it was," Harding said. "It all happened so fast. He didn't say anything like 'give me your money.' We don't really know what his intentions were."
The victim was treated at the University Medical Center emergency room and required staples.
The incident is one of the latest in a wave of October burglaries in Charlottesville.
"Breaking and entering had gone up to 55 this month," Harding said. "Usually we see about a dozen."
Harding said he could offer little explanation for the rise.
"Apparently a handful of people who don't even know each other have just decided that this is what they're going to do," he said. "It's very unusual."
Harding was reluctant to draw any connection to the serial rapist, who has been linked to the sexual assault of seven women in the Charlottesville area since 1997.
"The description on the serial rapist has been so varied, you can't say that this guy meets it," Harding said.
Charlottesville Mayor David Brown said he is concerned about the City's burglary rate, but added he has no explanation of the apparent increase.
"I don't have any sense of what's going on other than the fact that these things sometimes happen in clusters," Brown said.
Despite the recent increase in burglaries, Brown said crime in general in the City is not increasing.
"If you look at the bigger picture of our crime statistics, most of our violent crime rates have been declining steadily," he said.
Nonetheless, Brown said he believes that Charlottesville citizens must discuss ways to improve neighborhood watches and counter crime.
"I think the issue of our community having not caught the serial rapist is one we need to address," he said. "We need to have a community where women are safe."
Sociology Prof. Donald Black, author of Sociological Justice, said he believes the increase in burglaries may reflect a change in the patterns of police reporting or may be the result of an isolated crime spree perpetrated by a limited number of individuals.
Whether or not a crime is reported often depends on social status and the relationship between victim and assailant, Black said.
"The social nature of the crime affects whether the officer is likely to treat it officially," Black said. "Higher status people are more likely to have their burglaries reported, adding that frequently, victims have had previous relationships with their assailants."
If the burglary actually has increased, Black hypothesized the crimes are limited to a few perpetrators.
"It's probably just three friends who are on a spree or something," he said. "It doesn't make sense that it would be a bunch of individuals would just decide to go out and burglarize."
Either way, Black said he does not believe the crime rate increase to be significant.
"You have this kind of crazy reaction to rising rates sometimes," Black said. "But who knows whether that was real or if it just has something to do with the reporting?"
Read More
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | YesterdayThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 3 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 4 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
