Sprinkler system may have saved victim, helped case

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

The fire sprinkler system at the Hampton Inn in Peachtree City may have played a crucial role in helping identify the suspect who sexually assaulted the hotel clerk there and set her on fire.
The sprinkler system may have saved the victim’s life after she was bound up, assaulted and then set on fire. Without her, police might have been unable to get a solid description of the suspect, much less a detailed sketch mug shot.
Police described the suspect as a white male in his 20s with dark brown spiky hair, an average build and being 5’7” to 5’8” tall. He left the scene in a small car with a loud muffler that could possibly be of the aftermarket variety, police said.
Because of the bizarre nature of the crime, it is unlikely that other similar assaults have been committed recently in other jurisdictions, said Police Chief James Murray.
Still, police sent out a teletype to other agencies putting a lookout on the suspect and his vehicle in an attempt to catch him before he commits another crime, Murray said.
The suspect will face “numerous charges,” Murray said, adding that police are following up on numerous leads.
The hotel was closed Wednesday and police interviewed over 60 people who were staying there, some of whom provided key information to the investigation, Murray said.