Marysville woman says man with knife raped her

MARYSVILLE — Detectives are investigating a sexual assault reported to have occurred early Monday morning inside a woman’s home.

A woman told police she awoke about 4 a.m. to find a man in his mid-40s with a knife in her bedroom, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.

The woman said the man raped her and then left the house. The woman is in her early 30s and lives in a neighborhood west of I-5 and north of Marine Drive NE.

The woman told police she injured the attacker’s nose during the sexual assault. Deputies and police dogs searched the area Monday but found no signs of a suspect.

Police are asking people in the area to take precautions to make sure their homes are secure.

“We offer the same advice we want people to take all the time and that’s to be alert and aware of their surroundings,” Hover said. “We also encourage people to make sure their doors and windows are locked. We’re not sure how the suspect got into the house.”

There was no sign of a break-in, Hover said. The woman’s two children were asleep during the attack and did not see or hear anything. They were not injured, Hover said.

The woman was taken to the hospital, treated and released. She had no other injuries beyond the sexual assault, Hover said.

Hover said on Monday she didn’t have any other reports of attacks in the area.

“We’d ask if anyone sees anything suspicious in their neighborhood to call 911 right away,” Hover said.

The suspect is described as a white man, about 45 years old, between 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 6 feet tall and weighing about 210 pounds. He had short brown hair, balding on top, with some gray near the temples.

The suspect had hazel eyes and a scar on his left ear lobe. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. The suspect’s nose was injured by the victim during the attack.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office tip line at 425-388-3845. There is no additional information to release at this time.

Herald reporter Diana Hefley contributed to this story.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.