By Jon Gambrell
Enquirer contributor

ROSELAWN - A woman who reported being raped in her Roselawn apartment Monday morning was struggling Tuesday to cope with her emotions.

The woman is now resting with family.

"More than anything right now, instead of saying 'Why did this happen,' I'm saying 'Thank God I'm alive.' " she said.

According to the police report, an unidentified man entered her apartment through a window just before 7:30 a.m. Monday.

"I knew that window didn't shut," the woman said. "I just want to get the message out to be more careful and to stay careful."

After hearing a strange noise in her home, she called 911, just before the man allegedly raped her at knifepoint.

The phone remained on during the rape, with dispatchers taping the entire attack.

"One of the things I believe was it was OK to do anything to save my life," the woman said. "It was more about control and power. Because of the circumstance, I let him believe he was in control."

According to the report, the man left through the front door minutes later, just before police arrived.

The assailant is described as an African-American male in his late 20s or early 30s, 6 feet tall and 170 pounds, wearing a black jacket with an unknown design on the back, police said.

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E-mail jgambrell@fuse.net