A neighborhood is on high alert after the rape of an elderly woman by an intruder in her Lake County home, deputies said.
The woman, who is in her 70s, was sleeping inside her home in the Sunnyside area of Leesburg. Investigators said the man woke her up and then spent the next 2.5 hours sexually battering her.
"It was very traumatic what she went through and no doubt she was in fear for her life," Lake County Sheriff's Office Lt. John Herrell said.
The man finally left, taking nothing from the home. The woman was able to call 911 just before 2 a.m. Monday.
"We sent our helicopter and a couple of K-9s — really saturated the area," Herrell said. "But, unfortunately, he got away."
The attacker is described as a white male, possibly 6-feet tall with a stocky build. He was wearing a dark shirt and light-colored shorts.
The victim stated he had a deep voice and possibly has gray hair.
"It's very shocking, very disturbing," Herrell said. "And we just want to get this poor excuse of a human being behind bars as quickly as we can."
Meanwhile, neighbors said they will be locking their doors as they try to understand why someone would do this.
"Why do people pick on old people — or any women at all?" Ron Christiansen, a neighbor, said.
Detectives placed signs in the neighborhood offering a reward for any information in the attack, asking tippers to call the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 352-343-2101 or CrimeLine at 800-423-TIPS (8477).