NewsLocal NewsMedina County News

Actions

Medina police arrest man accused of groping 2 teen girls, 1 woman this week

Arrest generic
Posted at 12:10 PM, Jul 02, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-02 20:23:38-04

MEDINA, Ohio — The Medina Police Department has identified and arrested a man suspected of groping two 16-year-old girls and a 28-year-old woman in Medina this week, according to Chief of Police Edward R. Kinney.

Medina police released information and images of the man on Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, Medina Police Dispatch received a call from a citizen reporting a man matching the description of the suspect in the assaults, according to the Medina police.

The man was still wearing the same hat he had on during the alleged assaults, police said. He was arrested and taken to the Medina Police Department, where detectives are conducting an interview with him.

The man will be charged with one count of felony gross sexual imposition and will be incarcerated at the Medina County Jail, police said. Additional charges are expected pending a grand jury hearing.

"Chief Kinney would like to thank the public for their assistance in the quick capture" of the man, police said. "The incident is a reminder for all community members to remain vigilant while out in public. If something looks strange or out of place, trust your instincts and report it."

The first case was Tuesday at around 6 p.m. at the Walmart in Medina Township, police said. The man allegedly groped a 16-year-old female in the parking lot of the store.

The second case happened at around 6 p.m. on Thursday when he allegedly groped a 16-year-old female in the Target parking lot in Medina.

Later that same day, police say he tried to lure away a 28-year-old woman and then groped her in the 300 block of East Smith in Medina.

In all three cases, Kinney said the man was wearing the same hat, sunglasses and a Hollister T-shirt.

Kinney called the alleged attacks “bold,” as they happened in the daylight.

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.