Anchorage police say a young man has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman whom he had met through a dating app, and threatening her with a knife.
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On Friday, detectives from the Anchorage Police Department's Special Victims Unit began investigating the report of a sex assault on a 20-year-old woman.
The police department said Thursday that the victim met Persey through the dating app MeetMe. They agreed to meet for sex, but the encounter turned violent; Persey assaulted the woman when she wanted to stop having sex, police said.
"(Persey) would not comply with her requests," police said. "At one point during the assault, it was reported that the suspect threatened the victim with a knife."
Police were already investigating another sexual assault, reported to the police department on April 4, involving Persey. The victim in that case said she'd met him online a few months before, APD said.
Sgt. John McKinnon of the SVU said the unit has had a lot more cases with "some kind of Internet nexus" than in past years. It may be associated with the use of smart phones, he said.
Police believe Persey may have more victims. Anyone with additional information about Persey is asked to contact detective Chris Thomas at 907-786-2628. People can also reach out to Standing Together Against Rape (STAR) at 907-276-7273.