When a nighttime stroll in a Fort Collins park turned into an assault on Sunday, a woman's dog intervened, biting her attacker and allowing her to get away.
Police received a report of a suspicious situation on Sunday after a woman called 911 around 11 p.m. and could be heard shouting at a man to leave her alone, according to Fort Collins police spokesperson J. Gilmore.
Dispatchers were able to track the victim's phone to Lee Martinez Community Park, Gilmore noted.
Law enforcement officers encountered the unidentified woman at the park, and she directed them to a man following her, as per Gilmore. She informed the officers that she had been resisting the man for 20 minutes when her dog bit him in the face, enabling her to escape.
Information about the dog's age, breed, and name was not provided.
The victim did not have any prior connection to the suspect, according to Gilmore. The man had arrived in Fort Collins from Boulder on Friday and had been staying in the park.
Authorities in Fort Collins took 39-year-old Seth Estabrooks into custody without resistance on suspicion of three felony charges: second-degree assault, strangulation; unlawful sexual contact with force or threat; and false imprisonment by force.
He is currently being held at the Larimer County Jail, with a court date scheduled for May 14.
