Police are searching for a white man in his fifties who allegedly posed as a plumber Saturday afternoon to gain access to an apartment near Lake Merritt in Oakland's Chinatown. According to OPD, the man told a woman in the apartment that he was there to check the pipes for leaks and sexually molested a 7-year-old girl while alone with her in another room.

The girl tried to escape and screamed for help, alerting the woman, who is also related the victim. When she confronted the man, he took off on foot and ran out of the apartment complex near the corner of Oak and 10th Streets. Police say the man was seen around the area earlier in the day, but did not enter any other units.

The suspect is described as a white man in his early 50s, 6 feet tall, 160 pounds. He had a skinny build, a white beard and light brown hair. He was last seen wearing jeans, a gray hat and a blue, white and green striped shirt. Both his jeans and hair were splattered with paint.

There is a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the man's arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 510-238-3641 or the tip line at 510-637-0298.

[KTVU]
[Oakland Tribune]