Drawing of suspect Many sexual crimes in Thousand Oaks appear to lead to the same predator—a tall, slender, Caucasian man who may live in the Northwood Place area of the city.

On Fri., Nov. 6 at 8:25 p.m. a 30- to 35-year-old white male between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall with short dark hair attacked a female who was jogging in the area of Northwood Place and Mabrey Court.

The man, wearing sunglasses and a heavy sweatshirt with a hood pulled over his hair, pushed the victim from behind, causing her to fall into a bushy area. The victim, who believed she was going to be sexually assaulted, kicked the suspect, got up and ran away, police said.

She didn’t see the direction toward which the attacker fled and didn’t immediately report the incident to police, Detective Eric Buschow said.

The man could be the same person who attacked an 18-yearold woman on the footbridge over Olsen Road at 9:20 a.m. Dec. 16, 2008, Sgt. Barbara Payton said.

The student was walking from the main California Lutheran University campus toward the sports complex when a man approached her on the bridge, suddenly pushed her and tried to grab her by the neck.

That victim also fought back, punching and kicking the assailant. He fled toward the main campus, and she went to the sports complex and reported the incident to authorities.

Police connected both victims’ descriptions of their attacker with similar descriptions women have been giving authorities of a man who’s been exposing himself in front of women for the past two years in the Northwood Park/ Pederson Road area of T.O.

The indecent exposure assailant is described as Caucasian, tall and slender, between 18 and 30 years old with pale or yellowish skin tone. He wears different types of hats. In the footbridge incident, the attacker wore a brown derby, Payton said.

“We believe someone in Thousand Oaks knows who this person is,” Buschow said.

Since September 2006, female pedestrians or joggers, alone or in pairs, have seen a young man described as about 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet tall, 130 to 150 pounds with a slender build and black or dark brown hair exposing himself and committing lewd acts. Sometimes he wears a black beanie cap, other times a tan or light yellow fisherman hat. He’s also worn a “hoodie.” The last reported indecent exposure incident was July 24, 2008.

Police have canvassed the Northwood Place neighborhood.

“We’ve been on the scene immediately after an attack, and we assume he went inside one of the condos, but we don’t know which one,” Buschow said.

Adding to police frustration is their concern that the predator could get bolder and the attacks could escalate, the detective said.

“Somebody knows who this guy is, and we need the public’s help to find him,” Buschow said.

Law enforcement is requesting residents use “extreme caution” and be aware of their surroundings while in the Northwood Park area.

If someone sees the subject, they should call the sheriff’s department right away at (805) 6549511. Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Javier Chavez at (805) 494-8229.

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of and a criminal complaint filed against the person responsible for these crimes.

The caller may remain anonymous, and the call isn’t recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at (805) 494TALK (8255).