Rape reported at Wild Country dance club in Collinsville

Police on Friday were seeking the public’s help in finding a man who raped a woman in the parking lot at the Wild Country dance club early Thursday morning.

A woman reported to Collinsville police that she was attacked outside Wild Country shortly after midnight on Thursday morning. The woman went outside into the parking lot about 12:40 a.m. to get some air, and was approached by a man she did not know. During the conversation, he attempted to kiss her, and she declined his advances, police said.

The woman told police that the man then grabbed her, pulled her into the car and punched her in the face as she struggled. He then sexually assaulted her while inside the vehicle, police said.

Maj. Brett Boerm, of the Collinsville Police Department, said there is no history of assaults at Wild Country. “This is extremely rare,” he said. “It was really surprising to us.”

It was “College Night” at Wild Country, Boerm said, so there was a younger crowd at the popular dance club.

The woman suffered facial abrasions from the attack, but did not have to be hospitalized, Boerm said. As of Friday, there were no additional witnesses, he said, but police were continuing the investigation and exploring video surveillance.

The man was described as a “clean-cut” white male in his mid-20s, between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10, with dark hair and sleeve tattoos on his arms. The car is a dark-colored four-door vehicle.

Police asked that anyone with information contact the Collinsville Police Department at 344-2131.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Rape reported at Wild Country dance club in Collinsville."