Search for suspect after Hernando woman attacked from behind

SPRING HILL (FOX 13) - Residents at the Bridgewater Club Apartments in Spring Hill are on high alert after receiving a letter warning of a scary encounter over the weekend. A woman walking to her apartment was attacked by a stranger just after 2 a.m. Sunday. 

"He attacked her from behind, pushed her into like a shrubbery area and began attacking her," said Hernando County Sheriff's spokesperson Denise Moloney. "He attempted to sexually batter her and she began screaming very loud." 

The attacker got away.  He's said to be a black male, in his early 30s and was last seen wearing a red shirt.  He also robbed the woman of her cell phone.

"You're not safe anyplace no more; it's getting worse," said Anna Royan, a resident of the apartments for nearly a decade.

"I'm scared. I don't know it's going to be safe. They've got to get security here somehow," Royan said. "It worries me, it really does. There's not much you can do. This place is wide open," said Marlene Martin.

Martin says she won't be going out at night until cops catch the attacker. "It is scary. It makes my life a little different."

The letter residents received warns them to be aware of their surroundings and report anything suspicious.  Deputies are turning to the public for help.

"If anyone saw anything or knows anything or came into some information, give us a call we need to know about that," said Moloney. 

You can reach the Hernando County Sheriff's Office by calling 1-866-990-TIPS.