Intruder Charged with Attempted Sexual Assault during Home Invasion
EL CERRITO – Police arrested a man one day after he allegedly climbed through an open window of a woman’s apartment, brandished a knife at her when she awoke—attempted to sexually assault her, and then robbed her.
Last Thursday at 8:46 p.m., officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress at an apartment complex, located in the north end of the El Cerrito. Though it turned out to be a more serious home invasion.
When officers arrived, a woman told them an intruder with a knife tried to assault her, and then demanded that she hand over her valuables. The incident ended abruptly when two other persons intervened.
A pair of roommates realizing something was wrong called the police and knocked on the victim’s door—startling the suspect, who fled through a backdoor and jumped several floors to the ground below.
Responding officers deployed a police dog K-9 unit and searched in the nighttime darkness for the man to no avail. However, by Friday afternoon El Cerrito detectives identified and apprehended the suspect.
A 22-year-old man from San Pablo, Jermine K. Allen was arrested at 3 p.m. on September 15, booked at the El Cerrito Police Station, and later transported to the Martinez Detention Facility, where he remains in custody with bail denied.
Allen is charged with assault with intent to commit rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, first-degree burglary, robbery, making terrorist threats, and violation of probation. He was previously arrested five times in Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
