Fingerprint a key clue in arrest in sex assault

A fingerprint helped Fremont police track down and arrest a 33-year-old man suspected of robbing a party-supply store and sexually assaulting two female employees at gunpoint, authorities said.

Terrell Edward Gomer was arrested Sunday on suspicion of multiple robbery charges, two sexual assault charges, exhibiting a firearm and kidnapping, according to the Fremont Police Department.

Gomer was booked at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and is being held without bail.

Police received a call about 8:45 a.m. Saturday, shortly before the scheduled opening of a Party City store at the Fremont Hub Shopping Center, at 39210 Argonaut Way. Gomer, reportedly armed with a handgun, had entered the store through an unlocked door and proceeded to rob two female employees of cash from the register. He then sexually assaulted the two women at gunpoint, police said.

The victims, who were not identified, reportedly called police after Gomer fled.

After canvassing the area and speaking to witnesses, investigators said they learned that a man had been loitering at the shopping center since about 4 a.m.

During the investigation, a crime scene investigator found a fingerprint that was traced to Gomer, who was then identified in a photo lineup.

On Sunday morning, dispatchers received a call about 2:45 a.m. that a man was loitering inside the convenience store of a gas station on the 40500 block of Grimmer Blvd., police said.

The caller said the man had been lingering in the store for two hours and refused to leave.

The man fit Gomer’s description, police said, and responding officers took him into custody.

Gomer is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. Tuesday.