SMYRNA, DE - The Smyrna Police Department has arrested a man accused of attacking a jogger Wednesday night.
According to police, at about 10:30 p.m. on November 20, a 26-year-old woman called them to report an assault. The victim told investigators she was jogging near S Main Street and Commerce Street when a man grabbed her by the hair and pressed a knife to her back. Luckily, the woman was able to fend off the alleged attacker and escaped with minor injuries, according to investigators.
Police say their initial attempt to find the suspect was unsuccessful, but the victim gave a detailed description of the man. Using downtown surveillance footage and information from neighbors, authorities identified Francis Riddle, 34, as the suspect. Riddle was arrested on Thursday morning on Lexington Ave.
Police say the motive for the alleged attack is unknown.
Riddle was taken to the Department of Corrections in lieu of $78,000 cash bail and charged with the following:
-Possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony
-Assault 2nd degree
-Aggravated menacing
-Unlawful Imprisonment 1st degree
