The Gainesville Police Department and other law enforcement agencies have created a task force to locate a suspect who they say is connected to a string of five rapes in two counties since July.
In addition to GPD, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Ocala Police Department and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are involved in the task force. Two GPD detectives are working on the force, said Cpl. Angelina Valuri, GPD public information officer.
Officials believe the suspect committed five rapes in Marion County and Gainesville.
At a news conference Wednesday morning at the Marion County Sheriff's Office, detectives announced that there had been a fifth rape connected to the previous four incidents, said Judge Cochran, the office's public information officer.
The woman involved was lured into a vehicle in Ocala and later raped, he said. Although the victim didn't know the exact date, it occurred in late July or early August.
GPD was already working with detectives from the Marion County Sheriff's Office and Ocala Police Department before the task force was formed to provide information regarding any investigative leads.
The task force is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest. The Marion County Sheriff's Office is funding $4,000 of the reward, while Crime Stoppers, a nonprofit, is offering the remaining $1,000, Cochran said.
The victims in all five cases have reported similar descriptions of the attacker. They have said he is white, weighs about 200 to 250 pounds and has reddish or strawberry blonde hair in a military-style cut.
He may have an eagle or flag tattoo on his arm and a tattoo on his neck, Cochran said. The arm tattoo may be an attempt to cover up a scar on his left forearm, he said.
One of the victims injured her attacker, although detectives do not know with what object or how extensively. She did draw blood, he said.
The victims' descriptions of the attacker's vehicle suggest he may have been driving a minivan or SUV, Cochran said.
Victims have said consistently that their attacker was a friendly guy who offered them a ride. At least four of the five victims freely entered his vehicle.
