Woman sexually assaulted after yard sale, suspects on the loose

Detectives with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office are looking for two men accused of sexually assaulting a woman following a yard sale.

The 46-year-old victim told detectives she hosted a yard sale outside her home Saturday morning in the 5000 block of Doña Ana Road.

“This is very unusual,” said Kelly Jameson, a spokeswoman for the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department.

The woman recalled seeing two men, accompanied by two adult females and a child, browsing through household items inside the residence for approximately 20 minutes.

The group left, but the victim said the two men returned to the home about five minutes and knocked on the door, claiming they had left their cell phone inside the woman’s home.

The victim let the two men in her house, investigators said.

The woman told detectives a man – described to be in his 50s – grabbed her arm, and pulled her into the bathroom, where he sexually assaulted her. The other man reportedly stood watch outside the door, police said.

“It’s a reminder to take precautions any time you’re home alone, and also to hopefully spread the word about who these suspects are,” Jameson said.

The accuser told investigators the men told her they would be back in 20 minutes and left. The woman drove to a nearby convenience store and called 911.

Detectives say the older male is described as five feet, nine inches tall and weighs approximately 150 pounds. He reportedly has short, salt-and-pepper hair, no facial hair and was wearing a t-shirt and blue jeans.

The younger suspect, believed to be in his 20s, was also wearing jeans and a t-shirt and is described as five feet, six inches tall with black hair and brown eyes. The men were reportedly driving a maroon, older model Chevrolet four-door pickup truck.

Both of the men are described as Hispanic and speaking broken English.

The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department does not have a sketch artist, Jameson confirmed. The sheriff’s office is working to put together a better description of the suspects.

Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to call the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department, (575) 525-8806.

Anonymous tips can also be turned in to Las Cruces / Doña Ana County Crime Stoppers, 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or via text message to CRIMES (274637), using the keyword LCTIPS.

Donna Richmond, executive director of La Piñon Sexual Assault Recovery Services, said that regardless of the circumstances, a potential rapist will act on his or her impulses.

“The offender has already targeted their victim, so no matter what they have done, the crime would have taken place,” Richmond said.

Richmond said La Piñon has seen a surge in rapes by strangers in the past several months.

“We want to be safe,” Richmond said. “We want to be safe in our own homes, we want to be safe in our own communities. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible.”