After Columbia Apartment Rape, Police Offer $1K for Info

The Howard County Police Department is asking for help identifying a rape suspect after an assault was reported Wednesday, Jan. 21. There is a $1,000 reward for information, police said.

• Anyone with information may submit tips to police at 410-313-STOP.

At 11:05 a.m. Wednesday, a resident at the Columbia Landing Apartments in the 8800 block of Tamar Drive called 911 to report the incident after the victim came to her door, according to a report from the Howard County Police Department.

The victim, a woman in her thirties who did not live at the complex, said that a man she did not know, who was wearing black sweatpants and no shirt, approached her in the apartment building and was trying to engage her in conversation when he ”suddenly pulled her into a vacant apartment, where he physically assaulted and raped her,” the report said.

After he raped her, the man walked into a bedroom in the vacant unit, and the victim ran to another apartment to get help, police said. There was no evidence of forced entry into the apartment, according to police.

The suspect was described as a black man with short dreadlocks (approximately 2 to 3 inches in length), possibly in his thirties, of medium complexion and medium build, according to police.

The man did not appear to be armed, according to the report.

Detectives are offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information in this case, the Howard County Police Department said.

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 410-313-STOP.