The City of Beacon Police Department released an update regarding the incident on Thursday, Jan. 15, saying detectives are seeking information related to a suspect description tied to the reported assault on Tioronda Avenue that occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
The update comes one day after the department said officers were called at around 9:20 a.m. Wednesday to the area of Tioronda Avenue and Wolcott Avenue, after Fire and EMS responded to a report of an unconscious woman. Police said there was reason to believe the woman had been the victim of a serious assault, as Daily Voice previously reported.
Because the incident occurred near Sargent Elementary School, the Beacon City School District was notified and the school was placed on lockdown while officers searched the area. Police later advised the district that they were confident the suspect was no longer in the immediate area.
Police are asking residents to check any available cameras in Beacon for footage from Wednesday of a white man who was wearing a black jacket or coat —not a puff coat — a black knit hat, and blue pants or jeans, according to the department.
The suspect is further described by police as possibly being in his 30s to 40s, around 5-foot-11, with a medium build, and having a brown, very close beard.
Anyone with footage depicting such a suspect is asked to contact the City of Beacon Police Department at 845-831-4111.
In Thursday’s statement, police also addressed concerns about the timing of information being released.
“We do not take the public’s concerns lightly at all,” the department said. “Had it been appropriate to release this information earlier, we would have.”
Police said the case remains a sensitive investigation and that, in some traumatic situations, it is not appropriate to fully take a statement from a victim until time has passed.
“It would therefore be irresponsible for us to prematurely release information which we, objectively, could not rely on,” the department said.
Beacon Police said they continue to balance the public’s need to know with the victim’s privacy and the integrity of the investigation, adding that full resources remain devoted to the case with assistance from other agencies.
The victim was reported on Wednesday to be in stable physical condition, police said. The investigation is ongoing.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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