LAKEPORT – The Lake County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man allegedly responsible for sexually assaulting a local woman.

Capt. James Bauman said a young woman reported being assaulted on Thursday morning by a suspect who was unknown to her.

The suspect is described as a heavyset male Hispanic adult in his late 20s or early 30s, unshaven but not to the point of having a beard.

Bauman said the suspect claimed his name was “Roberto” and he was wearing a red snow beanie with tassels and blue “Dickie” style pants and shirt. The vehicle he was driving was described only as a dark blue or black Honda Civic.

On Thursday at about 11:20 a.m., deputies responded to a North Lakeport residence to investigate a sexual battery, Bauman said.

A 26-year-old woman reported that she was walking towards Lakeport on Lakeshore Boulevard near the old Rainbow restaurant at about 9 a.m. when a man pulled up in a vehicle and offered her ride to town, according to Bauman's reported.

The woman accepted the offer and, at her request, the man took her to a local church in Lakeport. Bauman said the woman went inside the church for a short time but when she came out, the man was still parked in front of the church. The man talked her into giving her a ride back to her home and again, she accepted the offer.

While driving back towards her home on Lakeshore Boulevard, the man started asking the woman intrusive questions and then began taking various turns away from her primary route home, Bauman said.

As the man drove around randomly in the area of Crystal Lake Way and Keeling Avenue, he started making sexual comments to the woman. Bauman said that despite the woman telling the man to cease and either let her out or take her back to the main road, the suspect continued with the comments and began sexually assaulting her.

After screaming and pleading with the man to let her out, the suspect eventually stopped and let her out at the 3000 block of Lakeshore Boulevard before continuing southbound, Bauman said. The victim went to the first home she could, got a ride back to her home and called 911.

Anyone with information on the possible identity of the man, or further information on his vehicle, is encouraged to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Department at 707-262-4200.

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