Portsmouth neighborhoods uneasy after string of assaults

PORTSMOUTH

Hair stylist Rynicia Newsome's clients urge her to lock her shop's door behind them, even in daylight.

Customers exchange crime-safety tips at the counter of Lee's C Store.

Cameron Pitts notices police cars sweeping spotlights over the yards of a nearby neighborhood, the usually quiet Castle Heights.

Four women, ages 65 to 87, have reported being sexually assaulted during the past nine months in their homes in neighborhoods off West Norfolk Road. The most recent incident was Sunday in Castle Heights, police said.

Police have increased patrols in those neighborhoods, particularly at night. This week, they warned residents and offered safety tips through "Reverse 911" calls to their homes.

The attacks have people talking and have raised concerns, residents and others said.

"The frequency of checking on people is somewhat higher than it was before," said Pitts, a former city councilman.

He lives in Hunters Point, the location of one of the attacks.

"Well, we never felt vulnerable before," he said.

Police haven't concluded that the attacks are related, "but there are similarities," said Detective Jan Westerbeck, a Portsmouth Police Department spokeswoman. They include the physical descriptions of each assailant and their dark clothing with covered heads, Westerbeck said.

Sunday night, a 65-year-old woman heard noises, stepped out on her porch to investigate, and was pushed back inside her home by a man who was kneeling in nearby bushes, police said. The woman was assaulted after struggling for several minutes.

Previous similar attacks occurred May 19 in the River Pointe area, June 12 in Hunters Point and Jan. 19 in West Norfolk, police said.

Virginia Beach police also are investigating whether there are connections to two similar cases in their city. The Beach assaults took place Feb. 14 in Elizabeth River Shores and May 23, 2008, near Mount Trashmore. Investigators from various cities have compared notes, said Master Police Officer Adam Bernstein, a Beach department spokesman.

Police urge residents to lock doors and windows, burn porch lights at night, cut back shrubbery and, perhaps most important, not open doors to strangers. Those with older relatives or neighbors should check on them more often, Westerbeck said.

"A big emphasis is on, 'Don't investigate mysterious noises and sounds,' " Westerbeck said. "Call police."

The River Pointe Property Owners Association has been telling its members the same thing, said Fred Bruney, its president. He said he's seeing more security systems installed and outside lights burning.

"A lot of attention is being paid this," Bruney said. "In a list of priorities, this is right at the top."

Pilot writer Kathy Adams contributed to this report.

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com