It's just a little over a week since a solicitor allegedly sexually assaulted an American Fork woman in her home, and American Fork police are urging residents to exercise caution.

Brian James Mask has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault in Provo's 4th District Court on Tuesday. Both charges are first-degree felonies punishable by up to life in prison. Mask is being held in the Utah County Jail on $200,000 bail, awaiting a preliminary hearing on Sept. 9.

The victim, a 58-year-old woman, reportedly underwent surgery Tuesday to begin repair work on her nose, which was broken in five places. In the time since the Aug. 25 assault, two other people have been arrested for selling door to door without a license.

American Fork Police Chief Lance Call has issued a warning to the public, telling them how to protect themselves and how they can help the police in the case of violations.

The city has had an ordinance regarding solicitors for about 18 months, Call said. He urged residents to take precautions.

"I would like to raise the public awareness. I would like to let the residents know the things we have in place to protect them from what happened a week ago," he said in a Monday interview.

Under the provisions of the city's ordinance, a company is required to have a business license when it brings solicitors to work in the community. The company pays for a temporary business license, and each solicitor has an ID card to wear.

Heidi Mitchell, who handles business licenses for American Fork, explained the process.

"We give them a temporary license that same day," she said. It is good for 25 days. At that point, they are eligible to obtain an annual permit, but most do not stay that long, she said. The company pays $15 per solicitor and each must submit a background check which is no older than 180 days. Those are provided by the Utah Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Identification.

Mitchell said there had been more requests this year than in the past.

"We have had more this year than we usually do," she said. "Generally we get 10 to 15 a year. This year we have had closer to 20."

Call said when a solicitor comes to a door, he or she should display the identification card. If that card is not there, Call recommended the resident decline to do business and call the police department.

"One of the fundamental rules is to never allow anybody in your home that you don't know," he said. "If you want to transact some business with them, do it on your porch or make sure there are other people around." If the person cannot produce the identification, he asked the resident to call 911.

"We can dispatch a car right away," he said. The department would like as much information as possible. It could include a description of the solicitor and vehicle, which direction he or she was headed, and what type of merchandise was offered for sale.

Call said that often when a solicitor is asked for the identification, he or she will move to a different locale.

"Their comment to us is, they would go somewhere else, to a city that doesn't have an ordinance," he said. Those communities are getting fewer, with most cities now having a solicitors ordinance on the books.

"This isn't 100-percent foolproof," he said. "But criminals aren't as likely to commit a crime when we have their information on file."

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