Identity of man sought after teen sexually assaulted in Renton church

The Renton Police Department is asking for help in identifying a man who forcibly raped a 15-year-old girl in a church bathroom.

Police say the victim was attending an event with the Iglesia Vida congregation at the Calvary Baptist Church in the Renton Highlands on Feb. 3. She walked to the bathroom and noticed a man she did not recognize loitering in the hallway.

As she shut the bathroom door, the man pushed his way inside and forcibly raped her, police said.

As is the case sometimes in these horrible situations, it took a while for the teenager to tell anyone what happened. Renton police said by the time detectives began investigating, the church surveillance system had automatically erased the old video.

However, the victim was able to give a very detailed description of her attacker. He is a light-skinned, Hispanic man about 30 to 40 years old. He is 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a heavyset build and black hair. He spoke with a Hispanic accent and had a flip phone.

At the time of the alleged assault he was wearing an orange shirt and dark blue jeans.

“It’s the worst nightmare of any pastor, because you are there to protect your people and love them,” said Pastor Carlos Rodriguez. “God is a god of justice, and we want justice to be done and we want this guy to be caught.”

Rodriguez said his congregation already has a security team who are at all church gatherings, including the one in early February.

He said because of the attack, security efforts will be redoubled.

Contact the Renton Police Department if you have any information on the assailant.