Woman attacked buying newspaper

By Tamara El-Khoury
Published December 8, 2006

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LARGO - A 36-year-old Dunedin woman was sexually battered Wednesday night by a stranger who assaulted her as she bought a newspaper.

Police say the woman pulled her car over at E Rosary Road and Fay Avenue just before 10 p.m. Wednesday to buy a newspaper from a box.

A stranger smelling of alcohol tackled her from behind and pulled her over a guardrail where he sexually battered her.

The suspect then fled and the victim got into her car and drove about a half a mile, when she saw a Sunstar ambulance at Keene Road and East Bay Drive.

She stopped for help and police sent out an officer with a tracking dog and called for a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office helicopter to aid in the search.

Police have no suspects and described the attacker only as a white man aged 20 to 40. Anyone with information is asked to call Largo police Detective Joe Coyle at 587-6771.