CLEVELAND — A man has been arrested in connection with the sexual assault of a woman in an East Side neighborhood where another attempted sexual assault and two attempted burglaries were reported.
Dominic Booker, 26, is charged with rape and burglary for a Sept. 14 incident in which a man wearing a ski mask climbed through the first floor window of a home in the 4300 block of East 142nd Street around 2:30 a.m. and sexually assaulted a 31-year-old woman.
Authorities said that the Sept. 14 incident is the only case Booker has been charged for, but they are investigating several other incidents that have occurred and could possibly be connected. In all of the incidents, a man was seen wearing a black ski mask, black clothing and attempted to make entry through a first floor window.
“We have three others that we’re working on and looking to make some connections,” said Cleveland Deputy Police Chief Harold Pretel.
On Sept. 3, a man pushed in the air conditioning unit of a in the 14300 block of Caine Avenue. The man attempted to assault a 7-year-old girl inside the residence, but she screamed and the man fled, according to authorities.
On Monday at around 11 p.m., police were called to a home in the 4300 block of East 144th Street for a prowler. Police responded again on Thursday after a man wearing a ski mask was spotted in the same neighborhood.
Police said they are also investigating a sexual assault case that happened in Cleveland police's Fourth District in 2018. According to authorities, Booker's DNA has been linked to that case, but he has not been charged.
“I just want to thank the public for the information that was sent in, our officers, our task force officers, the division of police and our partners to lead us in the direction of this suspect,” Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams said. “It was invaluable.”
Williams encouraged the public to continue to call in tips to the Crimestoppers line at 216-252-CRIME.
Williams and other law enforcement officials emphasized how partnerships with other agencies, including the FBI, the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and others, as well as tips from the public helped them locate the suspect.
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