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Police seek Provo groping suspect; victim shares her story

Posted at 4:38 PM, Dec 02, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-03 13:31:16-05

PROVO, Utah -- Officers are searching for a suspect accused of exposing himself and groping three different women in Provo.

One of the victims, who wanted to remain anonymous to protect her identity, told FOX 13 News she was out for a morning walk and jog around 8:20 a.m. on December 1.

A man reportedly approached her from behind as she made her way up the sidewalk next to the Provo Temple.

"I felt someone touch me," she recounted. "I turned around, and the person was kind of crouching behind me."

She said the man took off across the street, but she didn't want to let him get away.

"I ran after him, and he turned around and glanced backwards," she said. "When he saw that I was running after him, he really took off."

The woman said she called out to a passing driver to help, but the suspect jumped the fence of an apartment complex and disappeared.

She called Provo Police, and later found out she wouldn't be the only victim.

In the reports they received, Officer Nick Dupaix said the man "Would run up behind them and end up groping them, and then he would take off running afterwards."

A second victim, this time near 800 East and 300 North around noon, reported that's what happened to her as she jogged.

When it came to the third victim, Dupaix said the woman was walking just blocks away from the second incident, near 800 East and 700 North, at 3 p.m.

"He was following behind a female. The female ended up turning around and saying, 'Are you following me?'" he explained.

The man denied any wrong doing, and the two parted ways. But the encounter wasn't yet over.

"The female crossed the street, and then he ended up exposing himself to that female," Dupaix said.

The victim near the Provo Temple said she was angered by what happened, and she made fliers to post in the area to warn others.

"I think it's really disturbing that another individual would feel the need and the right to violate another human," she said.

But in that flier, she also has a message to the perpetrator.

"I want him to know that what he did was not OK," she said, adding, "I would like him to seek help."

Officers said the suspect is described as a Caucasian man in his mid-20s who is just under 6-feet tall.

Authorities said the suspect has a medium build, dirty blond hair and was last seen wearing maroon pants and a dark gray and black hooded sweatshirt, with a sweater over his face.

Provo officers said they would like to speak with anyone who might have information at (801) 852-6210.

They also plan to ramp up patrols in the BYU area, and are asking residents to stay vigilant.

Dupaix said it's important to carry a cell phone at all times, and if approached by a suspicious person, scream and make loud noise to get the attention of anyone nearby.