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Crossdressing Suspect Arrested For Raping Woman

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- A suspect who allegedly broke into a woman's home, sexually assaulted her and then tried to flee while wearing her clothes was arrested in South Sacramento on Saturday.

The Sacramento Sheriff's Department said parolee Renell Thorpe, 33, is being held on more than $1 million bail for a number of felony charges related a home invasion and attack Saturday morning.

Thorpe allegedly broke into a woman's home at 11 a.m., restrained her and raped her, and then went through her closet looking for clothes. He put some of the clothes on and ran away with some other articles of clothing.

A resident on Thurman Way called deputies several hours later to report that the suspect was running around the neighborhood asking people for help while wearing a black dress around his ankles and holding a bra and some panties.

"It kind of scares me because we have kids. All these houses have at least two kids in their house. They all play outside and that worries me," said a nearby resident.

Another resident said he tried to get inside her home.

"I could have been his next victim, really. It's scary, you know," she said.

Thorpe tried to flee deputies by running through backyards and jumping fences until a K-9 unit finally tracked him down on the 5700 block of Nina Way just before 5 p.m.

The victim identified Thorpe as the suspect, investigators said.

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