A man believed to be an illegal alien from Mexico was arrested recently for allegedly raping a 19-year-old in Guymon. Another man was arrested on a second statutory rape charge.

These two cases, solved by Guymon detectives within the last month, are just two of the reported sex-related crimes in Guymon this year.

There were recent cases of a man breaking into a woman's home and sexually assaulting her while her children were present, and another man exposing himself to little girls. The same guy is suspected of attempting to abduct a juvenile male a couple weeks ago.

Is the crime rate going up, or are more people reporting cases when in the past they would not.

"That's a very hard question to answer with any measure of certainty because of the variables involved," Guymon Police Chief Eddie Adamson said. "(It's) unknown whether people are now reporting or there being an increase."

But the chief does believe that publicity surrounding the recent cases may encourage other victims to come forward.
"I do think now that we have had these incidents, it has encouraged people to report that type of activity," Adamson said. "That helps connect the dots to see if (cases) are connected or related in any way.

"In the past, if someone got flashed, they would say that (the person) was crazy and go on their way. Now they know the severity and the fact that we are actively pursuing criminal cases and we appreciate the people that come forward so we can get the information and tie up the loose ends and get these suspects and get them arrested."

Adamson said these are still seeking leads in the most recent flasher and sexual assault cases.

"With the sketches we have, we feel certain someone in Guymon knows who this person is but may not know it," Adamson said. "If there is someone they know who matches that description, if they will just let us know, we can investigate it."

Guymon had 11 reported rape cases in 2006, six reported cases in 2007 and seven so far this year.

People who commit these types of crime might seem normal on the outside. And that is probably the case with the most recent string of sexual crimes.

"This person is probably, on the outside, probably a normal type person," Adamson said. 'But they are committing these criminal acts and we are afraid it's going to escalate even further and that's why we are putting all the resources we have available to us to get these people rounded up."

And it takes people being vigilant and on the lookout.

"It is a community problem and the only way we can solve these crimes is with the help of the community," Adamson said. "If they will call us with any lead at all, we will investigate."