S. Tahoe police disclose attempted rape 1 month after incident

By Kathryn Reed

A 25-year-old woman from out of town who was attending the SnowGlobe Music Festival was almost raped New Year’s Eve.

South Lake Tahoe police officers did not release the news that there is a would-be rapist either living in the area or who visited town until Jan. 29. Police Chief Brian Uhler said the delay is because they wanted to have a sketch of the suspect before information was released.

Now people are being asked a month after the incident to jar their memory if they have seen the man in the sketch to the left.

It is not known where the suspect is from. Uhler said no other similar incidents in the last month have been reported.

“We don’t have a serial situation in South Lake Tahoe,” Uhler told Lake Tahoe News.

The attempted rape occurred in the neighborhood off Johnson Boulevard, which isn’t far from the concert venue off Al Tahoe Boulevard. According to police, the woman, whose hometown has not been released, accepted a ride from the stranger with the agreement he would drive her to the residence where she was staying.

“The suspect then drove around for about 10 minutes before parking the truck. He explained he was trying to use his GPS to find the house. The suspect then attacked the victim,” Lt. Brain Williams said in a press release. “During the struggle, the suspect was able to pull down the victim’s pants. The victim continued to resist however, ultimately escaping from the suspect and running away. She fled through unfamiliar areas until she was finally able to find her friend’s house.”

The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 25 years old, 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, thin build, with wavy brown hair with about 2 inches on top and 1 inch on the sides. He had about a week’s worth of facial hair.

The pickup he was driving is an older white Ford with manual transmission and black cloth seats.

Anyone with information is asked to call (530) 542.6100 or Secret Witness at (530) 541.6800.