INDIANAPOLIS — A man is behind bars after allegedly groping two women on the Monon Trail Monday.
According to police reports, he's accused of grabbing one woman's rear-end and smacking another woman's.
Police say it happened in the afternoon on North College Avenue, just south of White River and north of Broad Ripple.
"Thousands of people a year are able to enjoy the Monon Trail and that’s what makes these isolated incidents so disturbing,” said IMPD Public Information Officer Drew Brown.
He told WRTV after one woman called Police they learned the male's description and found him still in the area.
After he was in custody a second woman approached them saying she had been touched inappropriately too.
“It’s very upsetting, you want to have safe places for people to go,” said Robette Cooper, a frequent visitor of the area. “You see a lot of moms and babies and strollers, and you know you want to be safe.”
Cooper told WRTV she plans to do things a little differently next time she goes to the Monon.
“My husband is very aware so he’s more conscious, but I’ll try to be too,” she said.
Being on high alert is something some visitors told us they already do.
“It’s always a little scary to be a woman by yourself, especially when you’re walking two miles from your house, and I just prefer to have him next to me. It feels a little bitter safer,” said Keira Hanover, who only walks with her fiancé, Steven, on the trail.
“I carry pepper spray, all the things you’re supposed to have as a young woman. Like I said, I don’t walk at night,” added Zoe Vernado, a recent college grad who just moved to the area.
Police suggest things like sharing your route with a loved one, staying on marked trails only, and always having a charged phone with you.
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“Our officers are patrolling these areas very frequently on a daily basis and thankfully, in this incident, as soon as they became aware of it, within minutes an individual was apprehended,” added Brown.
The suspect has been preliminary charged with sexual battery and battery.
WRTV does not name suspects until formal charges are filed.
Police also obtained a warrant for DNA and are investigating previous assaults on the trail to see if they’re connected to recent incidents.
IMPD is asking anyone who may have experienced similar incidents to call the department or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.
