Unemployed Man, 21, Seized in Series of Rapes in Norwalk

Sheriff’s detectives have arrested a 21-year-old unemployed man in connection with a string of rapes and break-ins that have unnerved neighbors in a four-square-block area of Norwalk for the last six months.

David Ross of Norwalk was arrested at 4 a.m. Tuesday while walking along Seaforth Avenue in one of the areas hardest hit by the attacker, said Sgt. Matthew McDannel.

Though Ross was arrested on suspicion of committing rape and burglary, McDannel said detectives had not charged him yet Wednesday. “We are still investigating,” McDannel said.

Since the attacks began last July, the Sheriff’s Department has intensified patrols in the area, using squad cars, dogs and helicopters. Residents who said they were frightened by the string of three rapes and 10 break-ins invested in security systems, left their porch and patio lights on at night and spoke of forming a Neighborhood Watch.

McDannel said that Ross lives nearby and generally fits the description that victims and other witnesses have given police, although he was not carrying any weapon or mask. He was spotted by a passing patrol car as he peered through a fence into a resident’s yard, McDannel said.

Detectives have held at least two neighborhood meetings to warn residents that the rapist apparently watches a house for days to determine what time the victim will be alone. During each assault, he has worn some type of mask and has been armed with a gun.