Arlington

Man Targets, Gropes Women on Tarrant County Jogging Trails

Six attacks police have linked to the same man took place over the last three weeks in four cities

Police in four North Texas cities are looking for a man targeting women near parks or jogging trails and worry the attacks are becoming more violent.

Six attacks police have linked to the same man took place over the last three weeks in the Arlington, Haltom City, Hurst and Euless.

The most recent incident happened Sunday in the 4500 block of Fossil Creek Boulevard in Haltom City when the man sexually assaulted a women, police said.

"She started kicking, screaming doing everything that you should do and at that point he reached down with his hand into her genital area and we're actually treating ours as a sexual assault," said Sgt. Eric Peters of the Haltom City Police Department.

In previous cases, the man has surprised women from behind and groped them before running away.

None of the victims have seen the man get in a car, police said.

Police don't have a composite sketch, but released a description of the man. He's described as black, dark-skinned, between 16 and 25 years old, between 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and has a slender, athletic build. In some of the attacks he was wearing black shorts.

Arlington police said Thursday the three incidents reported involved women groped while jogging near the lake.

The first incident was reported Aug. 17 along the 3800 block of Perkins Road where a woman was grabbed and touched as she jogged at about 5 p.m. The second incident took place Aug. 25 in the 3800 block of Morris Lane where a woman was approached from behind and touched at about 8 a.m. The third incident, in Arlington, was reported Sept. 1 along the 4000 block of Perkins Drive, where a woman said she was touched and pushed to the ground at about 6:30 a.m. before the man ran away.

The man struck again near McCormick Park in Euless at about 1 p.m. on August 26.

"He reached around her in kind of a hugging position and inappropriately touched her in the chest area," said Sgt. Scott Peterson of the Euless Police Department. 

Police said the man is getting more violent with each incident, as evidenced by the report Sunday out of Haltom City, and that the attacks appear to be sexually motivated.

Arlington Police update information on a man targeting women near parks or jogging trails. Six attacks police have linked to the same man took place over the last three weeks in the Arlington, Haltom City, Hurst and Euless.

There is also concern because the attack on Morris Lane happened near an elementary school.

"All these are adult victims, but when someone suffers from something like this we don't ever put it past them that they wouldn't try to attack a child or something," said Lt. Christopher Cook with the Arlington Police Department. "Thankfully we haven't see that but at the end of the day, we need to get this guy off the streets. We've got to get him identified. And the public always comes through. We always get a break or the suspect will get sloppy at some point and so as luck would have it I'm sure that we will get an identity and that will make everyone in North Texas, not only here in Arlington, but in our surrounding communities feel a little bit easier."

They are warning women about being alone in park areas and jogging trails – even during the day, when many of the crimes have happened.

Anyone with any information that can help identify this man is asked to contact Arlington Detective Jenkins at 817-459-5305 or Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.

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