VANCOUVER, Wash. — A Vancouver man is facing charges for two separate incidents where he allegedly entered an apartment through an unlocked door and groped a woman in the middle of the night. The incidents happened June 3-4.
On June 9, Vancouver police arrested 21-year-old Jerome T. White. Police said during one of the incidents, the victim grabbed a mask the suspect was wearing. The Washington State Crime Lab connected White to DNA found on the mask.
The first assault happened around 3:45 a.m. Thursday. Police said a man entered an apartment near Southeast 136th Avenue and Eastridge Drive through an unlocked door. He went into a woman’s bedroom and groped her while she was sleeping. The woman screamed and the suspect ran away, police said.
"Physically I'm alright," the victim told KGW. "Mentally I'm still a little bit in disbelief. It scares me and I can't believe something like this would happen to me."
The second incident happened around 1:15 a.m. Friday near Southeast 7th Street and 139th Avenue. Police reported a man entered an apartment, exposed himself to a woman and groped her. A second woman in the apartment and the victim fought the suspect off and he left. Neither woman was physically hurt, police said.
The victim from the first incident told KGW "I don't want him to hurt anyone and if he has I want him to pay for what he's done."
White was booked into the Clark County Jail on two counts of burglary in the first-degree and three counts of indecent liberties.
Police are reminding people to lock and secure their doors and windows, especially at night.