Church grounds site of sexual assault, say Davis, Calif. cops

By: Barry Leibowitz
Topics: Daily Blotter

Davis Community Church, in Davis, Calif.

/ CBS Sacramento

(CBS) DAVIS, Calif. - The Community Church in Davis is typically regarded as a safe haven within a safe neighborhood.

But police say a brazen attacker violated the sanctity of the church and the neighborhood by sexually assaulting a woman in broad daylight on the church grounds on Saturday, CBS Sacramento reports.

Officers say Saturday morning, around 11 a.m., a woman was walking on the grounds of Davis Community Church when she was attacked.

"I think this is a very bold and brazen move from the suspect," said Davis Police Department Lt. Glenn Glasgow.

The Davis Farmer's Market was taking place just across the street.

"It kind of shocks me that it can happen in the middle of the day, on a morning when there's so many people around," resident Tania Hammidi told CBS Sacramento.

"Through the investigation, we determined that the area in which the assault occurred was secluded from public view," said Lt. Glasgow.

Officers say the suspect used a sharp object to threaten the victim, rape her, and then rob her of items including her cell phone.

According to CBS Sacramento, the church's pastor said the incident had nothing to do with any church activities.

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