Greenwood police search for man accused of brutally raping victim for hours

Greenwood Police are searching for a man they said broke into an apartment and sexually assaulted a woman for several hours.

It happened at the Ashmore Trace apartment complex around 4 a.m. Sunday.

"She woke up to him straddling her with his hand over her mouth and a knife to her throat," said Assistant Chief Matt Fillenwarth. 

The armed suspect threatened to hurt the woman and her children if she screamed.

Police said the suspect raped her right next to her sleeping toddler, all over her home and even forced her outside. It's then that the woman screamed for help. The suspect let her go and took off.

"That just sickens me. That sickens me to the core," said Mary Miller, Greenwood resident.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 30's. He is between 5'6" and 5'10" tall and around 150 lbs. The suspect also had a mustache and goatee and was wearing camouflage cargo shorts, light colored tennis shoes and a plaid shirt.

The suspect has tattoos of bricks down one arm and possibly a "tiger tail" on his lower leg.

Police said they believe this same suspect tried to break into a nearby residence earlier in the evening but was unsuccessful.

"The door knob was moving on the front door and when this girl ran upstairs to get her mother, they looked out the window, someone matching the suspects same general description was seen on their back patio," said Fillenwarth.

The suspect is believed to live locally or has local ties and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (317) 882-9191. Anonymous tips can be called in at (317) 865-0300.