CLAYTON, Mo. — Police are asking for help to find a man wanted for kidnapping and sexual assault in Oak Knoll Park last week. Clayton detectives are looking for Jose Gomez-Velasquez, 25, who is wanted on several charges. Police have increased patrols of Oak Knoll Park and surrounding neighborhoods.
Court documents state that the victim was walking in a Richmond Heights neighborhood on August 30th when she was taken against her will to a nearby gas station. Gomez-Velasquez is accused of punching her in the face and then committing sexual assault in a secluded area of Oak Knoll Park.
Gomez-Velasquez choked the woman there before abandoning her. She spoke with police from an area hospital with the help of a translator. The victim is an immigrant with limited English skills.
The police describe Gomez-Velasquez as a Hispanic man who is 5’5″ tall and weighs 140 lbs. He has a subdermal piercing on his right cheek and multiple tattoos, including a large owl with an eye in a triangle on his throat, lips on the right side of his neck, and a cross behind his left ear.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has issued at-large warrants for Gomez-Velasquez. The charges include kidnapping, assault, and sexual abuse. His bond will be set at $300,000, cash-only.