A 20-year-old man is accused of choking a Sanford Medical Center employee from behind and sexually assaulting her in the downtown Fargo hospital's parking garage early today.
Police were initially dispatched at 5:40 a.m. for a report of a possible car prowler in the employee parking ramp on the south side of the hospital.
A witness gave a detailed description of a male seen running down the garage stairwell, Sgt. Mark Lykken said. While searching for the suspect, police soon learned about the sexual assault that had reportedly just happened, he said.
The victim, a 30-year-old Glyndon, Minn., woman, told police she was walking down the garage stairs when the suspect approached from behind and grabbed and choked her. She fell down the stairs and he continued to choke her and groped and fondled her, Lykken said.
The victim fought back, and the suspect fled when a Sanford security guard arrived, he said.
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Lykken credited the witness' detailed description with helping officers find the suspect in the 400 block of Broadway.
Richard Dwayne Perry, 20, was taken to police headquarters and arrested on suspicion of sexual imposition, felonious restraint and aggravated assault. He was being held in the Cass County Jail.
Perry has no permanent address, but it's believed he has lived in Fargo since at least 2008, Lykken said.
The victim had never seen or met the suspect before, he said.
Sexual assaults by a stranger are rare, Lykken said, adding the alleged assault may have been a "crime of opportunity" by the reported car prowler.
Sanford Medical Center President Dennis Millirons sent a message to all employees today about the incident, saying, "We take this very seriously.
"We are proud of our employees' courageous response," he wrote, adding, "We are extending our full support to our colleague and family."
According to the message:
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- The victim was treated and released.
- An "alert employee" reported a suspicious person in the parking ramp, and descriptions from several employees helped lead to his arrest.
- Sanford's video surveillance system captured "activity associated with the suspect," providing additional evidence to Fargo police.
Sanford's Fargo buildings and grounds are equipped with surveillance cameras, and both the downtown and South University campuses have security officers on patrol 24/7, Millirons noted.
Security escorts are available to employees, patients and their families to and from their vehicles, Sanford officials said.
Perry did not immediately return a message left for him at the jail.
