A church employee fought off an attacker who robbed her and threatened to kill her at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Parish in Altamonte Springs, police said Tuesday.
The office worker arrived at the church at 6 a.m. Tuesday, locked the door behind her, made coffee and then thought she heard something, said Senior Police Officer Robert Pelton, an Altamonte Springs police spokesman.
She fetched her key chain that had pepper spray on it, looked around but saw nothing, Pelton said.
She worked for 15 minutes, went to the bathroom and emerged from the stall to find a man standing there, police said.
The man choked the woman, punched her in the face and knocked her to the ground, Pelton said. During the struggle, he grabbed her hand and stole two diamond rings, including her wedding ring.
The woman continued to struggle, and the man reached toward his back and yelled that he would stab her, Pelton said. When he did so, he let her hand go, and she grabbed her pepper spray from her pocket and sprayed him in the chest, he said.
The assailant ran away. He is described as about 5-feet-7-inches tall with a thin build, curly dark hair and a prominent Adam's apple, long, skinny nose and long, skinny neck. He is thought to be 16 or 17 years old. He was wearing a dark shirt and black pants.
Police released a composite image of the attacker Tuesday afternoon.
Anyone with information can call Detective Glenn Cobb at 407-571-8279 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-8477.
A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Orlando said it is praying for all involved and cooperating with police.
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