Merrimac, MA Woman Assaulted During Home Invasion, Cops Say

A Merrimac woman told police she was woken up by a man with a knife inside her home on Saturday night, according to the Essex County District Attorney's Office.

The man allegedly entered the woman's home on Hillside Avenue around 11:10 p.m.  threatened her with the knife and assaulted her, spokeswoman Carrie Kimball said in a statement. The woman was able to escape from her house and call police from a neighbors, according to Kimball, who said the man was gone from the house when police arrived.

The was taken to Lawrence General Hospital and expected to be released on Sunday, according to Kimball.

"This is an active investigation which means there are more questions than answers right now. I can assure the community that we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to do everything we can to locate this suspect as quickly as possible," Merrimac Police Chief Eric Shears said.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 40s.

Shears asked anyone with information to call 978-346-8321.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH