Fourth woman
attacked on Maui

The 72-year-old was on
a morning walk in Kahului
when a man grabbed her

KAHULUI » A 72-year-old woman on a stroll was attacked by a man shortly after 5 a.m. in a residential neighborhood in Kahului yesterday -- the fourth attack against an elderly woman in the past three months.

Maui police Lt. Glenn Cuomo said the woman first noticed the man jogging south on Holua Drive, then moments later, he was putting her own hand to her mouth and trying to pull her into a dark area.

Cuomo said the woman activated an electronic alarm she was carrying, and the man fled in a northerly direction.

Cuomo said the woman did not require medical attention.

He said the man was described as a local male, 6 feet to 6 feet 3 in height, wearing dark pants and a green Army-type jacket.

He said detectives have been working with the woman to get a more detailed description.

"We're hoping to get a sketch out of this," Cuomo said.

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News of the attempted sexual assault shook the neighborhood, where residents often take morning and afternoon walks.

"They got to catch this guy," said Thomas P. Lee, a Holua Drive resident. "It must be somebody from someplace else or is new in this neighborhood."

Resident Rosalia Casio said she sometimes takes walks at the nearby county park and she thinks the police should increase patrols in the neighborhood.

"It's so scary," she said.

This is the fourth assault since May 30. Three elderly women were raped in the first three assaults. Police have not said whether DNA samples were obtained in the first three assaults, but they have not ruled out a connection. Each case remains under investigation.

Yesterday's assault happened about one to two miles from two previous rapes in Kahului and roughly 11 to 12 miles from a rape in Kihei.

The first attack involved an 87-year-old woman who was raped in the bedroom of her house at 3 a.m. May 30, within a radius of 1.5 miles from Hina and Wakea avenues in Kahului. Cuomo said the man broke a window to enter the house and took her handbag containing cash and other items.

The second attack occurred between 5:30 and 5:45 a.m. on June 14 near Hina and Wakea avenues. A 78-year-old woman was walking outside Hale Mahaolu, an elderly- assistance housing, when a man pulled her into a brush area, police said.

The third attack involved an 83-year-old woman in her home on Kenolio Road in Kihei at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Police said the man entered through an unlocked window and also took cash.