Authorities investigate rape in Fayetteville area

Cumberland County deputies were investigating a rape that was reported early Tuesday in the Legion Park area of Fayetteville.

Investigators said a woman was asleep in a bedroom of her home on Rustic Trail when she was awakened at about 1:45 a.m. by a man standing over her.

The man was described as being between 5-foot-9 and 6 feet tall and weighing about 250 pounds. He was wearing a black ski mask, black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans and gloves.

There was no immediate word on whether investigators believe the case is linked to a string of burglaries and rapes in Fayetteville and Hope Mills between June 2009 and January. In each of those cases, women who lived in apartments reported that a man broke in late at night while they were home alone and sexually assaulted them.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office has stepped up patrols in the area, and authorities encouraged residents to report any suspicious activity or persons in their neighborhood.