Crime & Safety
Wanted: Man Accused of Groping Pinellas County Teen
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has released a new sketch of a man accused of groping a teen on her way home from school.
SEMINOLE, FL — As the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office continues to search for a man accused of grabbing a teenage girl on her way home from school Friday, the agency has released a new sketch of the suspect.
A composite sketch was released over the weekend, but it didn’t adequately resemble the wanted man, the agency explained in an email to media.
“Detectives say that the suspect's hair was mostly gray with only a small amount of brown hair,” the email said.
Find out what's happening in Pinellas Beachesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to the agency, the 15-year-old girl was walking home from Seminole High School around 5 p.m. Dec. 2. As the girl was traveling on Oakhurst Road near 86th Avenue North, she saw a man walking north on the west side of the road.
“Detectives say that the suspect hid behind a bush and waited for a school crossing guard to leave the area before he started walking towards the victim,” an email from the sheriff’s office said. “The victim became nervous and proceeded northbound on Oakhurst Road, walking away from the suspect. The suspect followed the victim, came up behind her, and slapped her on the buttocks with his hand.”
Find out what's happening in Pinellas Beachesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The girl ran away, the agency said, but the man kept following her, “jogging behind her for about a half mile.” The man, however, couldn’t keep up. Deputies say the girl was able to get away from him in the 9100 block of Oakhurst Road.
While the girl was not injured, deputies would like to speak with the man accused in the incident. He is described as a white male between the age of 40 and 50. He has a thin build, graying hair and a beard. He was last seen wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts and white sneakers.
Anyone with information about the man’s identity is asked to call Cpl. Paniccia with the Crimes Against Children Unit at 727-582-6200. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-873-TIPS or by going online to www.crimestoppersofpinellas.org.
No further information is available at this time.
Sketch courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.