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DPD: Person Of Interest Jailed; Fair Park Serial Rapist Investigation Continues

Dallas Police say the hunt for a serial rapist in the neighborhood south of Fair Park is still “open and active” even with the overnight arrest of a person of interest.  Detectives urge people to keep calling the tip line.

A tip led police to 29 year old Alan Mason at an Arlington apartment. 

“There was some profile information as well as a car that linked, potentially linked Mr. Mason to the crimes," Dallas Police Major Jeff Cotner told reporters. "He was arrested overnight in Arlington on a probation violation for DWI.”

Cotner says that's the only charge against Mason at this time.

“I’m not going to talk about Mr. Mason’s interview other than to say that Mr. Mason fully cooperated with detectives, fully,” Cotner said.

Cotner says Mason remains a person of interest in the nine rapes in the same Fair Park neighborhood since June, and that the investigation is still at full throttle.

“To date we have 52 tips and that’s great," Cotner said.  "But we still need the community’s support and participation in finding this predator.” 

In the meantime, Deputy Chief Michael Coleman in charge of the southeast division wants to reassure nervous neighbors.

“You’ll continue to see visible resources such as bicycles, mounted, helicopters, our crime response teams, our uniform metro squads, our gang unit,” Coleman said.

There are also plainclothes and undercover officers working the area.

Crime Stoppers and Oak Farms Dairy are offering $15,000 in reward money for an arrest and indictment in the case.

Former KERA reporter BJ Austin spent more than 25 years in broadcast journalism, anchoring and reporting in Atlanta, New York, New Orleans and Dallas. Along the way, she covered Atlanta City Hall, the Georgia Legislature and the corruption trials of Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards.