DENVER -- A massive task force of police officers and FBI agents is continuing a manhunt for a registered sex offender who police say is linked by DNA to five sexual assaults in central Denver in the last week.

On Thursday, an anonymous donor kicked in $18,000 for the capture of Brent Brents, 35. Combined with the $2,000 reward from Crimestoppers, the reward for information leading to Brent's arrest amounts to $20,000, Denver police said.

Police are searching for Brents and discovered his car abandoned in a parking lot at Chambers and Mississippi, near his Aurora condominium Wednesday night. Officers impounded the vehicle and are searching it for more evidence.

A friend and former roommate of Brents', Dereck West, was taken into custody late Wednesday for further questioning. Detectives say Brents came to live with West after he got out of prison six months ago.

Brents had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a 1991 felony sexual assault conviction.

Then, after his release in July, Brents registered as a sex offender in Aurora on Nov. 4, 2004. Five days later he is accused of sexually assaulting a boy. The next day, Aurora police brought Brents in for questioning and then let him go.

On Jan. 26, 2005, Arapahoe County issued a warrant for Brents' arrest.

Many people, including law enforcement officials at the Denver police station, want to know why Brents is not behind bars -- especially since Brents admitted to inappropriate sexual contact with the Aurora boy in an arrest affidavit, 7NEWS reported.

A high-ranking police source told 7NEWS that given Brents' prior criminal history and his confession, many law enforcement agencies would have kept him behind bars.

Now that Brents is at large and linked to three sexual assault cases in four days, residents in Denver's upscale Congress Park neighborhood are on edge.

On Wednesday night, dozens gathered in a packed auditorium at Teller Elementary School looking for answers about the recent sex assault cases.

"I don't know what we can do beside having more police officers in the area and have people coming together like they did tonight as a community," said Renee, who didn't want her last name released.

Denver police Chief Gerry Whitman told people who live in the neighborhood where the attacks happened that all possible manpower is dedicated to finding the suspect in the cases.

Another community meeting on is scheduled Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Bromwell Elementary School.

Officers searched the area of 13th and Pearl through Wednesday evening, following every possible lead. Overnight, police received several calls and followed up on a call about a disturbance at some apartments on the corner of 12th and Marion. Officers searched the building but they did not find Brents.

Police also searched Exempla St. Joseph Hospital, where the suspect was believed to have been spotted, but turned up nothing.

The latest sexual assault occurred Monday about 7:45 p.m., when a man sexually assaulted three people in a home on Vine St.

On Friday, two women were attacked in separate incidents about three hours apart within a two-mile radius. Those sexual assaults happened in broad daylight.

The parents of one of the women who was assaulted issued a statement Thursday that thanked law enforcement officials and well-wishers for their support:

"Our daughter is so much more than a victim. She is a kind, loving, and creative human being who helps so many. Neither she nor any other woman or child deserves to be violated. Our thoughts and prayers are with the other victims and their families and all other victims of sexual assault." (Read the full statement)

Solving these assaults is such a priority that the Crimestoppers hotline is being manned 24 hours a day.

Anyone with information on Brents is asked to call Crimestoppers at (720) 913-7867.

Additional Information

A list of the state's most violent sexual offenders can be found on the Colorado Bureau of Information Web site. However, only violent offenders, repeat offenders, and offenders who have not registered are listed.
To get a list for your neighborhood, all you do is visit your local police department and ask to see the sex offender registry. There's usually a small handling fee involved. A few cities and counties have this list online. You'll need to check with your police department to see if you can access this online.