Crime & Safety

Police Arrest Man for October Attempted Rape in Aspen Hill

Matching DNA evidence lead to arrest.

Police arrested Roberto Cruz Gonzales, 19,  on Thursday for an near the Aspen Hill Shopping Center in October 2010.

On October 26, 2010 at 11 p.m., a woman was walking back from work at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and Independence Street when a man accosted her from behind and forced her down an embankment adjacent to the roadway.  The suspect struck and attempted to rape the victim, but she fought off her attacker and he fled on foot.

Police initally investigated this assault as that occurred in the 4th district around the same time, but according to police, they do not believe Gonzales is involved with the other cases at this time.

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Gonzales was arrested after an anonymous tip gave partial identifers of Gonzales, in addition (police also obtained security footage that showed a physical description of the suspect). In March 2011, a police officer saw a man who matched the general description of the suspect around the same area as the assault and stop and identified him. 

DNA obtained from Gonzales matched DNA evidence gathered from the scene of the attack, and he was arrested on June 23 at his residence in the 4300 block of Federal Street in Rockville.

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