Nearly a week after a woman was sexually assaulted at her home, Lawrence police will say little about their investigation into what may be the work of a serial rapist.

On Thursday, a police spokesman would only say the incident is a major case investigation.

“As you know, we would never divulge details such as those you have requested because it may jeopardize the ultimate resolution of the case,” Sgt. Paul Fellers said in a response to questions e-mailed to him.

On Saturday, in response to a Journal-World inquiry, police Capt. Dan Affalter issued a news release stating that a man entered an apartment at Lorimar Townhomes, 3801 Clinton Parkway, where he sexually assaulted a woman at 3:30 a.m. that day. The only description police released was that of a man who is about 5 foot 9 and weighing 160 pounds.

The news release also said investigators were looking at cases from 2004 and 2005 that may be related to the most recent incident:

¢ One woman was attacked on July 14, 2004, in a southwest Lawrence apartment.

¢ Two women were raped on Dec. 29, 2004, at Highpointe Apartments, 2001 W. Sixth St.

¢ One woman was raped on June 13, 2006, at a central Lawrence home.

A general description of suspects in these cases was that of a 25- to 40-year-old man, ranging from 5-foot-9 to 6-foot. They had slim builds.

Last week’s attack came during the conclusion of Kansas University’s spring break, while the other attacks occurred during the summer or during a break between KU semesters.

The attackers in the earlier incidents were armed, sometimes with a gun. Police have not always said how the attacker gets into the homes, but in at least one of the earlier incidents, entry was through an unlocked door.

Since last weekend’s rape, rumors have circulated in Lawrence that the five attacks are related to a string of rapes and assaults in Manhattan.

Riley County Police have been investigating several rapes and assaults dating back to 2000 that they said could be related. The most recent attack that might be linked occurred at 4 a.m. on Aug. 7, 2007, according to a police news release issued at the time.

However, the description of that suspect is not all that similar to those of the Lawrence attackers. The release said he was in his late 20s, about 5 foot 10, and weighing 200 to 220 pounds.

Riley County police said the suspect in the August incident was armed with a handgun.

The Manhattan cases remain unsolved, police spokesman Lt. Kurt Moldrup said. Moldrup said that during the past few years, Manhattan police have talked with several other police departments about the rapes. However, he said he was uncertain whether Manhattan investigators have been in contact with Lawrence police recently.

The latest incident in Lawrence has not sparked calls from concerned Lawrence residents to GaDuGi, a support agency for victims of sex crimes, said director Sarah Jane Russell.

“It may take awhile. They may be waiting to see if more information is revealed by police; I’m not sure,” she said.

Russell is not critical of police for not saying more about the incident or their investigation.

“Law enforcement has their reasons for why or why they don’t release information to the public, and I completely trust that,” she said.