An unknown male raped a 19-year-old female at about 5 p.m. Thursday in the woods near a bike path off Majors Lane in Columbia.
“Howard County receives very few reports of stranger rapes, but when we do receive a report, we take it very seriously, as we are doing in this case,” said Officer Jennifer Reidy of the Howard County Police Department.
The victim told police the man approached her from behind as she was walking on the bike path.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic-looking man shorter than 5 feet tall with a slim build and goatee, police said.
The male asked the woman for sex, and when she refused, he picked her up, carried into the woods and proceeded to rape the 19-year-old, police said.
Reidy said the male ran away after the attack, and the woman notified her mother of the incident upon her arrival home.
The Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks advises individuals who use their trails not to wear headphones or walk or jog alone, and if they must travel the trails along, take a pet.
Howard County police are looking for information about this incident, and urge residents to call 410-313-3200.
