FORT MILL, S.C. — Police in Fort Mill are investigating after they said a man went to a woman’s home on Saturday afternoon claiming he had her W-2 form, forced the door open, flashed a weapon and sexually assaulted her.
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The stranger knocked on the door of the victim’s townhouse on Drane Circle around 12:50 p.m., police said. He told her that he had somehow received her W-2 tax forms.
When the woman opened the door, he forced his way inside, took out a knife and threatened to harm her if she did not do what he said.
After the assault, the woman ran from her townhome and found help. The suspect was able to get away before police arrived. Detectives said he did, in fact, have a copy of the woman’s W-2 forms.
Police released surveillance footage of the suspect from a nearby convenience store.
The video was obtained from the Sam’s Mart, at 810 Tom Hall Street, which is close to where the sexual assault happened.
Police told Channel 9 they don’t get many calls from the neighborhood where the attack happened, and neighbors said they’ve felt safe.
“Who would think that would happen to you at your own home?” said Amber Schronce.
Schronce is a home health nurse who is in the neighborhood every weekday. She said hearing about the attack at the hands of a stranger frightens her.
“I feel like that would make it even worse because it is unknown, and you were just going about your day, doing normal, everyday things,” she said.
Fort Mill police are alerting the community about the crime, concerned someone else could become a victim.
“This person was so brazen in their approach to doing it, and in the time of day that it occurred,” said Maj. Bryan Zachary.
Officers spent Tuesday canvassing nearby homes and shops across the street, asking if anyone saw anything, or might have cameras that may have spotted anything.
The attacker was described as a black man about 5 feet, 6 inches tall with a medium build. He is possibly in his late 20s or early 30s. He was wearing a camouflage jacket, black hoody, dark pants, black work boots and a dark-colored medical mask with light-colored ear loops.
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Police praised the victim for being able to give so many details about her attacker.
“Generally, we don’t get that much information with regard to a suspects’ description from someone who’s just gone through something as serious as that,” Zachary said.
As for how the man got her W-2 form -- whether from the community mailbox or some other way -- police don’t know yet.
Detectives are working on a composite sketch of the man but currently have no suspects. They think it’s likely that he’s local to the area and they’re running down every lead that comes in.
Call the Fort Mill Police Department at 803-547-2022 or Crime Stoppers of York County at 877-409-4321 if you have information.
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