MEDINA, Ohio — The man accused of sexually assaulting two teens and a woman in Medina last week was indicted today by a grand jury on two counts of gross sexual imposition with a bond set at $1 million.
Police released bodycam of the man, Rodney Church, being taken into custody. In that video, Church told officers he was from out of town and came to Medina for work, driving two hours a day to do so. It's unclear from the recording if he realized police were looking for him in connection to a string of sexual assaults.
The 27-year-old man, who police say is from Noble County in southern Ohio, matched the description given by victims.
Medina police released information and images of the man last 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.
The man was still wearing the same hat he had on during the alleged assaults, police said.
"Chief (Edward) Kinney would like to thank the public for their assistance in the quick capture" of the man, police said in a statement on Friday. "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 incident happened last Tuesday at around 6 p.m. at the Walmart in Medina Township, police said, when a man allegedly groped a 16-year-old female in the parking lot of the store.
The second happened at around 6 p.m. on Thursday, with the alleged groping of a 16-year-old female in the Target parking lot in Medina.
Later that same day, police say a man allegedly grabbed a 28-year-old woman, tried to lure her to a park and 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.
RELATED: Medina police arrest man accused of groping 2 teen girls, 1 woman this week
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