Suspect linked to 2 Tulsa rapes

Tulsa police held a press conference on Monday morning to announce a suspect in the rape of a jogger at LaFortune Park.

Police say 25-year old Willis "Sisco" McPherson is a suspect in that attack.

The 19-year old was raped on February 16th around 6:30 a.m. She told police the suspect approached her twice while she was running and then assaulted her.

Sisco was arrested in February for allegedly raping a 20-year old woman in her midtown Tulsa apartment. That victim identified the suspect in a photo line up.

Police also announced the arrest of Michael Ray Harris, who is the suspect in five sexual assaults.  FOX23 first reported Harris' arrest on February 9th.  At that time, Harris was a suspect in two attacks, and police were working with investigators in other states to find other victims.  

Harris was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on two complaints of failure to register as a sex offender, two complaints of kidnapping, two complaints of forcible sodomy, and five complaints of first degree rape.

Sisco is being held on complaints of first degree rape, attempted first degree rape, sodomy, rape by instrumentation and sexual battery.

The big question Monday was whether women in Tulsa were feeling safer with both suspects off the streets.

"Just really shocking and surprising," Melissa Dern said, while at LaFortune Park with her toddler daughter. "But, makes me feel better that at least they've been arrested."

But relief over the arrests was tempered with caution.

"Glad they're caught," LaFortune Park jogger Nancy, who asked that her last name not be used, said. "It gives me a little bit of relief to know, you know they're not out here. But I'm always on guard, just because it's an open park and there could be someone else."

Both women say the attack in the park is another scary reminder of the world we live in today.

"I usually don't walk by myself," Nancy said. "I usually have a buddy with me."

"I run during the daytime," Dern said. "I'm out where there are other people, not by myself. And just always kind of looking around, making sure I know my surroundings, knowing what kind of people are around."

In the other cases, police say convicted sex offender Michael Ray Harris attacked five different women. He grabbed one while she was loading groceries into her car. Others he saw walking on the street and offered them a ride.

But Harris' luck ran out back on January 27, when he stopped a 17-year-old girl walking on the 7200 block of E. Admiral. Police say he dragged her behind a restaurant, where he raped her. Later that day and less then two miles away police caught up to him and made the arrest near E. 15th St. and S. Memorial. Using a description of Harris' vehicle, police were able to tie him to the other four assaults.

Although both suspects are off the streets, police say everyone should do what they can to avoid becoming a victim.

"There's two messages," Sgt. Mark Mears with the Tulsa Police Department said. "One is that the city is a safe place. The second is that you still want to take precautions. We don't have that many incidents like this, but they do occur."