Charlotte woman, asleep in her home, wakes to man trying to sexually assault her

Detectives are looking for a man who broke into a woman’s apartment and tried to sexually assault her while she slept early Thursday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.

The woman put up a fight, and the man ran away from her apartment in a complex on Wynbrook Way in north Charlotte, police said.

CMPD Capt. Ryan Butler said the suspect is a light-complexioned black man in his early 20s, about six feet tall and 180 or 190 pounds. He was wearing a gray or grayish hooded sweatshirt, jeans and white sneakers, Butler said.

Butler said police believe the man entered the apartment through an unlocked window. The woman didn’t know him.

Less than 10 percent of sexual assaults involve complete strangers, CMPD Lt. Melanie Peacock said.

Butler said police have been canvassing the area to learn more about the incident and also provide safety information to neighbors, and they’ll be patrolling on foot tonight. Investigators are still analyzing physical evidence, he said.

There haven’t been similar incidents nearby, Butler said, and the suspect in the most recent series of break-ins in the area is in jail.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

This story was originally published November 16, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Charlotte woman, asleep in her home, wakes to man trying to sexually assault her."