Lakewood man suspected in two sex assaults, possibly others

JEFFERSON COUNTY – A Lakewood man remains in Jeffco jail after his weekend arrest as a suspect in a series of sexual assaults across the metro area.

Marc Patrick O’Leary, 32, was arrested at his house at 65 Harlan St. Sunday on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault; second-degree kidnapping; first-degree burglary; and felony menacing in each of two cases involving separate victims.

In addition to the two sexual assaults in Golden and Westminster, O’Leary is under investigation in similar crimes in Lakewood and Aurora. Other law enforcement agencies believe he could be linked to yet other sexual assaults in the metro area, according to the Jeffco District Attorney’s Office.

O’Leary was advised of his rights during his first court appearance Tuesday. He is expected to return to the courtroom Thursday to hear the charges against him. O’Leary remains jailed in lieu of a $5 million cash bond.

Westminster police opened their case in August after a woman told investigators she had been sexually assaulted. After a similar crime was reported to Golden police in January, investigators there began comparing the two the cases to see if the same person might have committed them.

Neither of the sexual assault victims knew their attacker and investigators from both cities found a number of other similarities in both cases, according to prosecutors.

After both agencies alerted other investigators from departments across the metro area, Lakewood and Aurora police noted similarities in cases reported within their jurisdictions including an unsolved sexual assault in Lakewood in July.

“Other agencies from across the Denver metro area also offered resources and joined the investigation including the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the Aurora Police Department,” according to a spokeswoman for the Jeffco DA’s Office.

The investigation eventually led officers to the house at 65 Harlan in Lakewood, where O’Leary was arrested.

“This is a great example of what law enforcement can do when we work together as a team,” said Golden Police Chief Bill Kilpatrick, “Hundreds of law enforcement hours and resources from dozens of agencies led to this arrest.”

Investigators believe O’Leary might be involved in other, possibly unreported, sex crimes in the metro area and appealed for anyone who might have been a victim to contact Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-STOP (7867).

O’Leary is described as a white male, 6-foot 1-inch tall, weighing 220 pounds. He has blond hair and hazel eyes and has a distinctive birthmark on his lower leg about the size of an egg.

In the Golden sexual assault the victim said her attacker was wearing gray sweatpants, a gray hooded sweatshirt and covered his face with a mask.

Because other victims could turn up during the on-going investigation, prosecutors are withholding O’Leary’s booking photo and the arrest- and search warrant affidavits have been sealed.