Man sought after elderly woman sexually battered in Lake Co. home

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Lake County deputies are looking for a man they said broke into an elderly woman's home and forced her to perform a sex act early Monday morning.

Detectives said the attack happened about 2 a.m. at the Sunnyside community in Leesburg.

The victim called 911 and told investigators she woke up late Sunday night to find a man in her bedroom, who then sexually battered her.

"Right now, we don't know. There are no signs of forced entry," said Lt. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriff's Office. "She feels certain she locked the front door, so right now that's part of the mystery. We're trying to figure out what exactly happened that he was able to make entry into the home."

Detectives said it doesn't look like the man stole anything from the home.

"I never could understand when that kind of stuff could happen to an elderly woman, you know?" said neighbor Ron Christiansen.

"It's very scary to think that could happen to a 70-year-old," said neighbor Karen Ketchum. "That makes me nervous if he is looking for victims, women victims."

Officers said they hope the victim can give them enough of a description to put a sketch together.

"He is a legitimate threat in the community," said Herrell. "They are the types of calls and reports that really make us cringe."

Deputies describe the suspect as a stocky, 6-foot-tall white man, wearing a dark shirt and light-colored shoes and possibly having gray hair.

WFTV