(December 26, 2006)--A rapist who has struck at least five times since April in and around Baytown has spread fear in the working-class community and has also piqued the interest of those who study the criminal mind.

The reason? He preys on other men. And that makes him something of a rarity in the world of crime.

Experts say male-on-male rape sometimes stems from sexual encounters gone bad.

But that does not appear to be the case with the rapist in this oil-refining town of 70,000 residents about 30 miles east of Houston.

Baytown police say their suspect methodically identifies and stalks young men, attacking them at gunpoint or knifepoint.

Police said sometimes he also robs his victims, but that rape appears to be the primary motivation.

The US Justice Department says one in 33 men in the United States has been a victim of a rape or attempted rape, compared with one in six women.

Experts say men are far less likely to report a rape to authorities, because they fear being perceived as weak or see the attack as an assault on their masculinity.

In fact, investigators in Baytown fear there may be other victims of the rapist who are too ashamed to come forward.

The most recent attack was on Nov. 30.

Victims have described the Baytown attacker as a clean-shaven black man, 18 to 21 years old, who stands 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall and about 200 pounds.

Victims say he also has a shaved head.

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