The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is looking at a few different scenarios, spokesman Kraig Troxell said, one of which involves the prowler and another that involves a totally different person altogether.

The woman, whose age is being withheld to protect her identity, was asleep in her bed at about midnight when an attacker forced entry into her home on Ironwood Road through a locked door, Loudoun County Sheriff's Office spokesman Kraig Troxell said.

The woman woke up and was confronted by the man, who had a knife. He sexually assaulted her before fleeing from the house, Troxell said.

The victim described her attacker as a large man who spoke with a foreign accent. Troxell did not know if the victim was able to recognize what her attacker said.

Since it was dark, she did not get a good look at him to give a more complete description, and investigators are working with her to determine what kind of accent the man had, Troxell said.

Troxell noted that the physical description is a little different than those of the other recent prowler attacks, but the room was dark.

“It's not far enough off for us to eliminate that it's possibly related,” Troxell said.

“If this case is related, the suspect has significantly escalated his method of entry and the amount of violence.”

In the other prowler attack cases, the perpetrator entered through an unlocked door or window, a weapon was never shown and the attacker left as soon as he was confronted.

In Friday morning's attack, he was there for a longer period of time, Troxell said.

At about 12:30 a.m., the woman called police, who searched for the attacker. A K9 unit conducted a ground search, while the Fairfax County Police helicopter searched from the air. The attacker was not found, Troxell said.

The victim was treated for minor injuries at Inova Fairfax Hospital and released, Troxell said.

The Sheriff's Office is asking residents to report any suspicious activity or people by calling 703-777-1021. The agency also is reminding residents to lock all doors and windows.

If you have information on any of the recent prowler cases, call 703-777-0475. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919. Anyone with information leading to an arrest and indictment could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Contact the reporter at jwagoner@timespapers.com