Police: Suspect accused of sexual assault, burglary preyed on victim's kindness

A man with a lengthy criminal history is behind bars once again, this time on charges of burglary, theft and sexual assault. Police said the suspect committed the crimes after preying on someone's kindness.

Joseph Washington was one of those victims. He said the suspect got away with nearly all of his belongings.

"I go to work, I come back home. My house has been violated,” said Washington.

Washington remains frustrated two months after a man broke into his apartment and stole almost everything he owned.

Washington says he first met the suspect when he let him into his apartment to use his bathroom. He thinks Mason then broke in after he left the apartment a short time later and locked up.

"It looked like Katrina hit it. He just took stuff and threw it everywhere,” said Washington.

Thursday, Omaha Police arrested 27-year-old David Mason on suspicion of that crime and two others. Police believe he sexually assaulted an Omaha woman in her own apartment in February after she let him in to use the phone. Mason is also accused of stealing two guns from a home near 42nd and Spaulding earlier this month.

Court records show these incidents are not his first run-ins with the law. Mason's name and birth date appear on nearly 40 different cases stretching back almost 10 years.

"One of those things I asked for in my life was closure about it, and now I have it,” said Washington.

Washington has closure, but not his stuff back. Electronics, hundreds of dollars worth of clothes and even blank checks are gone. His laptop was also taken, but has already been recovered.

"That's the only thing I got back and that's because the battery wasn't in it,” said Washington.

He considers his other items gone for good. Now that there has been an arrest, Washington hopes some good can come out of it.

"I'm happy they arrested him and I hope he gets the help he needs. He's definitely going to need some,” said Washington.

The Omaha Police Department has not yet released a mug shot for Mason.