DNA Tests On Fast Track In Park Rape Investigation

Processing of DNA evidence was put on a fast track Thursday and police patrols around Bushnell Park remained beefed up as authorities worked to identify the man who raped a Waterbury woman in the popular downtown park earlier this week.

State Police said DNA analysis would be finished within a day or two and immediately checked against a national directory of convicted sex offenders and an array of other criminal databases.

State police scientists "are going as quickly as they can," said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman. "The minute they have answers, they will get them to Hartford police."

Hartford police, meanwhile, were using their own database, trying to match the attacker's physical description to possible suspects.

The victim told police she was walking near the carousel about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when a man asked her for change. When she kept walking, she said, the man pulled her from behind by her ponytail and assaulted her.

The suspect was described as a black man about 6 feet tall and 260 pounds with gray facial hair.

Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts said that with increased patrols, the public can feel secure around park . "We will keep up those patrols down there until we catch this individual," Roberts said. "We want people to feel safe."

The chief urged anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call Lt. Scott Sansom, commander of the major crimes division, at 860-527-7300, Ext. 5230. They also may call the department's tip line at 860-527-8477.

Private security officials in downtown Hartford also plan to look out for the suspect, said Austin Jordan, executive director of Hartford Guides, an organization that serves as a block watch group for the downtown area.

Downtown residents were warned Wednesday to stay out of the park after dark. Allen A. Ambrose, president of the South Downtown Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, said that, after the warning, residents told him "people don't like the fact that they couldn't walk through the park."

"I don't know if the rest of the world would agree with me, but the police can't be everywhere all the time," he said. "The police were doing a fair amount of patrolling before this happened."

"The perception problem will be with people who don't live downtown," Ambrose said. "Those who live there accept the risk. Most are prudent. They are not timid or afraid."