MARATHON, Fla. – Deputies in the Florida Keys are searching for a man who assaulted a woman early Saturday after he broke into her Marathon home.
Adam Linhardt, a spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, said the victim heard her front door open sometime before 6:30 a.m. at her home in the 400 block of James Avenue. At first, she thought her husband, who left for work earlier, had returned to retrieve something.
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The man entered the home and attacked her while she was still in bed, demanding to know where "the money" was located, Linhardt said. The man put a cloth on the woman's mouth and attempted to choke her, but she fought back, kicking him several times in groin, Linhardt said. The woman tried to flee, but the man pursued her into the living room where he struck her with a conch shell, Linhardt said.
The man eventually left the home without taking anything, Linhardt said. The woman suffered injuries to her face and head, but she was not seriously hurt.
Deputies described the intruder as a white man about 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a thin build. He was wearing a trucker-style ball cap and a long-sleeve, white T-shirt.
Deputies also released video from a surveillance camera showing someone approaching the home on a bicycle around the time of the attack.
Anyone with information about the home invasion is asked to contact detectives at 305-340-7706 or Miami-Dade and The Florida Keys Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.