Gwinnett County Police officers are relying on the public to help identify a man wanted in connection with a Dec. 13 kidnapping and attempted rape in Buford.

A sketch released Wednesday shows the likeness of an intruder police say forced a woman into her own home at knife point, before cutting off her hair with scissors and attempting to rip her blouse.

The woman escaped unharmed after her pit bull terrier bit the attacker.

The incident took place just outside the woman's home in the 3000 block of North Bogan Road in Buford.

"Really, what we'd like is help," said Cpl. Jake Smith, spokesman for Gwinnett police. "If anyone recognizes this guy, or has heard of any instances like this that the victim didn't come forward, we'd like to know."

The sketch shows a white male, with short, light-brown hair cut in a military style and a large mole to one side of his mouth. He was also described as being about 25 years old, 5-foot-9 and having a thin build. At the time of the attack, he wore blue jeans, a blue sweatshirt and work boots, police said.

Gwinnett detectives didn't release a physical description to the public following the attack because of their own leads as well as the lack of an artistic rendition that was just recently completed, Smith said.

However, notices about the crime were sent to area law enforcement agencies throughout metro Atlanta and Northeast Georgia. At this time, Gwinnett detectives have no reason to believe the assault is connected to any others in the region, Smith added.

"(Alerts go) all across metro Georgia when crimes like this happen - robberies, burglaries, anything where there is a chance another jurisdiction might help us or vice versa," he said. "A day after or two days after it occurred, we sent this information out to them. We have not heard from any other neighboring jurisdictions that they've had anything similar."

Police said the victim left her residence about 1 p.m. to walk her dog. During that time, a man she did not know approached her from behind and held a knife to her ribs.

He forced her back into her home and then her bedroom, according to a police news release.

When the suspect attempted to tear off the victim's shirt, she struggled and her dog bit him, police said. The woman escaped and called police from a neighbor's house. The suspect had already fled when officers arrived.
The woman, whose identity is being withheld because of the nature of her attack, was not hospitalized. She didn't suffer any physical injuries, other than the loss of her hair, Smith said.

It's not clear how the man left the area.

"No vehicle was seen or anything like that. We're not sure if he parked around the corner or fled on foot," Smith said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Gwinnett Police Special Victims Unit at 770-513-5000.