BELFAST – Authorities were searching Wednesday for a Lincolnville man they said kidnapped and assaulted a woman he knew last week.

The authorities did not announce their search until Wednesday morning, nearly five days after the alleged attack. They would not explain why they delayed reporting the attack.

The Waldo County Sheriff’s Department and area police have been looking for William “Billy” Rankin, 38, since Friday. The 35-year-old alleged victim called Camden police at 5:06 p.m. to report that Rankin had held her against her will and assaulted her earlier that day in Lincolnville.

Waldo County Chief Deputy Bob Keating on Wednesday described the attack on the woman as “brutal.” He said the woman was treated for her injuries at Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport.

Keating said Detectives Greg Stearns and Jason Trundy were handling that investigation and that sheriff’s deputies, Camden police and state police were involved.

Keating described Rankin as 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. He urged the public to contact the Waldo County Sheriff’s Department or other law enforcement agencies if they have information on Rankin’s whereabouts.