Chatham-Kent Police are now aware of four recent incidents in which a man has approached women from behind and inappropriately touched them in the city centre.
The first report was of an incident Friday, Feb. 12, around 8:20 p.m. when a 24-year-old Chatham woman was walking on King Street West. The woman broke free and the man fled the area. He was last seen running northbound between Scotia Bank and Mama Maria’s.
After that incident was made public three other occurrences have been reported.
The first incident occurred on Feb. 10 just before 8 a.m. A 16-year-old girl was inappropriately touched from behind while she was walking through the parking lot of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance along Grand Avenue West.
The following evening around 8 p.m. an 18-year-old woman was inappropriately touched from behind while she was walking on St. Clair Street near Maple Street. The suspect fled the area, running southbound on St. Clair Street.
Last night, around 7:15 p.m. a 16-year-old girl was inappropriately touched from behind while walking on King Street West between Jahnke Street and Sixth Street.
The suspect fled the area, running eastbound on King Street West and then northbound on William Street.
None of the women involved were physically injured.
Police believe the incidents are linked and are searching for a white male, 25 to 35 years of age with short hair. He is described as being slender and approximately 6 ft. tall.
Videos of the suspect were released yesterday. Please review the videos by clicking the following links https://youtu.be/0BuhwjSLSps and https://youtu.be/zuKYsYJGTRE
The Chatham-Kent Police Service would like to remind members of the public to use extra caution and always be aware of your surroundings. If you observe someone acting suspicious, trust your instincts, move to a safe location and call police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Constable Paul Brophy at paulb@chatham-kent.ca or 519-436-6600 extension #207. Anonymous callers may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) and may be eligible for a cash reward.
