Police arrest man suspected in sexual attacks on girls
The man detained for questioning Thursday after attacks on three girls in the West Willow neighborhood of Ypsilanti Township has been arrested.
Investigators interviewed the 25-year-old Ypsilanti Township man Thursday after a security camera image and tips from residents in the area of the assaults helped police find him. He is expected to be arraigned Friday or Saturday, said Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derrick Jackson.
Police have arrested a man suspected in three attacks on girls in the West Willow neighborhood of Ypsilanti Township.
Deputies picked the man up shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday at his home after releasing a wanted poster, including a photo taken by a security camera in the neighborhood, earlier in the day.
While the photo was released Thursday, the suspect's name has not been released.
Police said the man groped two girls and tried to abduct a third as they were walking to the bus stop in their neighborhood Wednesday.
Deputies reported a 17-year-old girl was approached from behind by a man who had ridden past her on a bike as she was walking to her school bus stop about 7 a.m. Wednesday near Chevrolet Street and Studebaker Avenue. The man put his hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming and used his other hand to grope her crotch, letting her go when she bit his hand and ran back to her nearby home.
While deputies were in the area investigating that report, an 11-year-old girl approached police. Jackson said that girl reported a man matching the description of the bicyclist had approached her and groped her chest area before fleeing.
While talking to the girls, investigators received another call from dispatch notifying them of the kidnapping attempt of a different 11-year-old girl by a man matching the same description.
Jackson said the girl was on her way to a school bus stop at 7:30 a.m. near Nash Avenue and Dodge Court when the man approached her, grabbed her arm and said “you’re coming with me.”
The girl managed to yank her arm away and ran away and screamed, he said.
The man matches the description, in both appearance and actions, of a man suspected in a sexual assault reported last week near McCartney Avenue and State Street. Jackson said a man rode past a girl who was walking in the area before turning around, groping her and riding away. Police are still investigating that incident as well.
Anyone with any information regarding about the assaults is asked to call 734-973-4884, or the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office confidential tip line number 734-973-7711.
Comments
Shelly
Sat, May 12, 2012 : 12:41 a.m.
If this creepy guy was caught so fast because of those cameras the township put up, then I owe them an apology. This was too close to home. Every neighborhood should have them.
Bruce
Sat, May 12, 2012 : 3:36 p.m.
It is funny how people were SO against the cameras being put up but when they show they work like we were told they would people now want them and MORE of them. People that are not breaking the law don't need to worry about the cameras, criminals do! All the cameras can help get criminals off the streets, they can't stop crime from happening but they can help put the criminals in prison where they belong. If we didn't have the cameras this guy would still be on the streets and he might have actually raped a child and possibly killed them by now, maybe more than one would have been raped , maybe your child, or neighbor. Compare the cost of a cop looking at video and what it would have cost to have cops out searching for someone on a bike.........looks like money well spent to me.
15crown00
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 9:59 p.m.
great a suspect is in custody.
Goodphotographer
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 6:14 p.m.
There is no mention of the location or owner/operator of the camera that took the cyclops I mean bicyclist . This camera could be shooting from a inside or outside residence, church or one of the township's cameras covering the main entrances of the quaint, neighborly subdivision.
Jimmy McNulty
Sat, May 12, 2012 : 1:17 p.m.
It was from one of the security cameras set up in the West Willow neighborhood as a crime prevention and crime solving tool.
observer
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 4:53 p.m.
I wish the annarbor.com would re post Rich Kinsey's article on the use of cameras, it was a very well written piece and gave specific reasons and goals of why law enforcement would use them......nice job Rich.....
xmo
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 4:07 p.m.
This guy has problems if he really did use a bike for his crimes!
eyeonthenews
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 4:05 p.m.
What goes on behind closed doors is private. If you do something out in public for anyone to see is not an invasion of your privacy if it's caught on camera.
Smiley
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 3:28 p.m.
Great to hear they have somone in custody. Wouldn't have gone with the red shorts, but to each his own.
John of Saline
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 3:42 p.m.
Yeah, not a whole lot of thinking here. Did he WANT to be caught?
EyeHeartA2
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 12:56 p.m.
Wait....what? I though security cameras were a horrible infringement on our rights? Better to let a rapist go than take a picture and all that. What....the... h e double hockey stick is going on here? Well congrats to the cops - by any means necessary - as they say.
ArthGuinness
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 5:05 p.m.
Every tool can be used or abused.
The Black Stallion3
Fri, May 11, 2012 : 1:31 p.m.
I am happy they caught him no matter how they did it....time to take away all rights when involved in criminal activity and just think of the reduction we could have in lawyer fees.