Man charged with multiple sexual assaults around Terwillegar

Edmonton police have arrested a 31-year-old man following a string of attacks in southwest Edmonton over a two-year span.

The man was originally arrested Wednesday in connection with a break-in and sexual assault that happened in December. Police now think the same man was involved in four more crimes in Terwillegar last year, as well as one sexual assault in June 2012.

The man now faces additional charges, including three counts of assault, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of disguise with intent.

Detective Andrew Larson, who works with EPS's sexual assault section, said physical evidence gathered during the December case was key in being able to lay additional charges.

"Because of that, that person was identified and that led to a kind of a correlation between all the other investigations in which he's been charged in," he said.

Police are investigating whether the man was involved in other reported assaults in Edmonton's southwest and incidents where women were approached from behind, pushed and assaulted near Whyte Avenue.

Police said the suspect was not known to them prior to his arrest on the city's south side in December.