FRESNO, Texas — A woman who was sexually assaulted while jogging in Fresno helped lead investigators to the man charged in the attack, the Fort Bend County sheriff said Wednesday.
Maleek Jamal Tristan, 19, was charged with sexual assaulting after confessing, according to Sheriff Eric Fagan.
The attack happened in the Estates of Teal Run on the afternoon of March 22. The woman, who's in her 40s, was jogging around the retention pond behind the neighborhood recreation center when she was tackled and assaulted.
The victim was able to provide a good description of her attacker and worked with an HPD sketch artist. When the sketch was released, multiple tips identified the suspect as Tristan, Fagan said.
He said Tristan surrendered on May 28 for unrelated warrants and tried to disguise his identity by cutting off his hair, but it didn't work. The victim was able to identify Tristan in a photo lineup.
“She gave us a great description of this individual, so much so that when he turned himself in on a simple warrant, traffic warrant, he thought he disguised himself by shaving off his dreads, but the description and the photo array of him was so close, the victim recognized him," Fagan said.
The sheriff said sexual assaults are a priority for his department and he credited dedicated detectives for their work in this case.
“This was brazen, this happened in broad daylight, this happened on a walking trail. We wanted to hurry up and execute this warrant for this arrest to give back the safety in that community."
He said they're looking at the possibility that Tristan was involved in similar cases, but no other details were given and he is only charged in the Fresno case.
His bond was set at $150,000.