x
Breaking News
More () »

15-year-old charged after woman groped on afternoon walk in Cheshire

CHESHIRE — Police arrested a teenager after a woman reported being groped on Wednesday. A 46-year-old woman said she was groped while in the area of Strat...
cheshire groping incident

CHESHIRE — Police arrested a teenager after a woman reported being groped on Wednesday.

A 46-year-old woman said she was groped while in the area of Strathmore Drive in Cheshire around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. She said the male, who she described as a teenager, approached her from behind, grabbed her shoulders and chest so she couldn’t move, and then reached between her legs.

The teen male ran off.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old admitted to police that he was responsible after officers spoke to him and his father. The boy is charged with sexual assault in the fourth degree and unlawful restraint in the second degree. He is in the custody of Bridgeport Juvenile Detention, and will be arraigned on Friday.

Police say they’re still investigating similar cases to see if this teenager was responsible for similar groping incidents in town. Four of the five groping incidents in Cheshire since May have happened along Strathmore Drive.

The suspect was described by the victim on Wednesday as a white male in his late teens, about 5-foot-10 with an athletic build and short, black hair. He was wearing a tray t-shirt and red shorts. Police had said his description and how he attacked the woman were consistent with the other reported incidents in town.

Police said Wednesday that they had added additional patrols in the neighborhood while they were investigating, but some don’t think that’s enough.

“I think there should be some cameras up there because, in this instance, we would have that person on camera, without question,” said Chris Tomain, a vice president of neighborhood homeowners association.

Some residents have wondered why police don’t just go door-to-door, checking to see if any individuals meet the description. But, Jortner says, the Fourth Amendment of the U.S Constitution, which prevents unreasonable searches and seizures, would not permit that approach.

“I know that would be a great idea,” said Jortner. “If we could do that, we could probably bring the case to faster conclusion.”

The Cheshire High School resource officer was part of the investigation since the suspect was described as a teen.

Before You Leave, Check This Out