CLERMONT, Fla. – Clermont police detectives are investigating a sexual battery that happened Wednesday afternoon at Lake Hiawatha Preserve.
Authorities said the woman was walking on a bike trail at the popular park between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. when two men grabbed her, forced her into a wooded area and attacked her.
The woman alerted a passerby at 5 p.m. in the area of 450 12th Street and then contacted police, according to a news release. She did not have a cellphone with her at the time of the attack.
The bystander called 911 saying the victim ran up to her near the bathrooms at the park asking for help.
“A girl ran up to the bathroom and her clothes are ripped,” the 911 caller said. “Two boys, she said, attacked her.”
There were a lot of children at the park at the time, according to the 911 call.
“She needs police help,” the caller said. “She obviously was raped out here.”
The victim described her attackers as two men wearing dark clothing. She was not able to provide a more detailed description of the men because she is still processing the trauma, according to Capt. Michael McMaster.
A composite sketch will be created if the victim is able to provide the information for one, officials said.
“It is a brazen situation. It’s something that’s extremely out of the ordinary for our municipality, for this community. It’s something that’s out of the ordinary for the bike trail in general,” McMaster said.
Police officials said they believe this is an isolated incident and do not believe the community is in any danger.
McMaster said the department hasn’t received reports of any similar crimes in the area. He also said the attack is not related to an attempted sexual assault at Lake Louisa State Park in March.
“It’s bothersome but I believe that the men and the women here that patrol the city ... they’re going to make every effort and investigate to the fullest they can do,” McMaster said.
McMaster said detectives were at the preserve Thursday morning hoping to recover surveillance video, but police said later the cameras were not working. The City of Clermont is looking into why they weren't operational.
“The City of Clermont is looking into why the cameras were not working at this location,” said Kathryn Deen, the City of Clermont spokesperson. “Safety is a top priority for the City of Clermont. In addition to having park rangers patrol our trails and having lighting along the trails from dusk to dawn, we have cameras set up at Waterfront Park and Lake Hiawatha Preserve. It is unfortunate that they were not working at this time.”
City officials didn’t give provide a timeline on when the cameras will be working again.
Anyone with information about the sexual battery asked to call the Clermont Police Department at 352-394-5588 and hit option 3 for investigations.