Posted: Sat, 17 Sep 2011 07:13 PM - 10,586 Readers

By: Shelton Green

KVUE News has learned that Austin police are looking into accusations from local real estate agents all alleging a disturbing experience with an unknown man posing as a client.
April 21, 2011 was the last known incident of a man pretending to be a condo buyer.  Real estate workers believe he intended to sexually assault female agents.
 
In the April incident the man broke into a vacant condo on Lake Austin Boulevard near the Hula Hut. He set up an appointment with a female real estate agent, but when she arrived she made a disturbing discovery.
 
“When they walked in they found an inflatable mattress and the police believe it was somebody staging an aggravated sexual assault,” said Cord Shiflet with Moreland Properties.
 
Sources also told KVUE that there were ropes, ties and other sexual oriented objects found in the closet of the vacant condo.
 
Real estate workers said a man fitting the same description may have attempted similar crimes in Austin as many as five times this year.
 
“It just leaves a pit in my stomach. My mom's a Realtor. My wife is a Realtor,” added Shiflet.
 
In each case the man is black, bald, stocky, about 5’9" tall. He wears scrubs and claims to be a doctor at St. David’s Hospital, a claim that local real estate workers found not to be true.
 
“There's some very bad and scary stories that have happened here in Austin with real estate agents getting killed. More recently there was a very scary incident in San Antonio just before Christmas with a woman who was attacked. So you know these need to be on the front of our brain and people need to be ready to react,” added Shiflet.
Austin police and real estate agents advise employees to work with a buddy if they’re meeting someone they don’t know at a vacant property. They say it’s also a good idea to let someone know where you’re going and how long you plan to be there.

*  Story Contributed by: Shelton Green