Police have charged a 15-year-old Cheshire High School student who is accused of grabbing a woman from behind in Cheshire on Wednesday night, but they continue to investigate four other similar assaults on women in town since May.
Police spoke with the 15-year-old boy and his father and said they obtained a confession.
The teen is accused of grabbing a 46-year-old woman as she was walking on Strathmore Drive around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday. The victim told police he grabbed her by the shoulders and reached his other hand between her legs, Cheshire police said.
On Thursday, police said they spoke to the suspect and his father and charged the 15-year-old with fourth-degree sexual assault and unlawful restraint.
He was taken to Bridgeport Juvenile Detention and is due in Waterbury Juvenile Court on Nov. 4.
Police are investigating at least four other similar assaults.
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The first assault was reported in May. The victim said she was walking in the Strathmore Drive area when a young man ran up behind her and grabbed her buttocks, then fled on a bicycle and rode into the woods, according to police.
The second victim said she was walking on the Linear Trail in the area of Lock 12 on June 2 when a young man on a bicycle pushed her to the ground, grabbed her buttocks, smiled and road away.
Police received another complaint in early June from a woman who was grabbed as she walked in the Strathmore Drive area.
She said a young man walked up behind her, grabbed her buttocks, smirked and walked back toward two other young men who were standing down the road.
In August, another victim said she was walking in the Strathmore Drive area when she walked past a young man who was pacing.
The woman and the teen said “hello” to each other and she continued on her way, but the teen grabbed her in a bear hug, threw her to the ground, grabbed her buttocks and pulled her shorts before the woman pushed the teen off of her, police said.
"Please turn yourself in. We're going to find you one way or another," Detective Lt. Frederick Jortner, of the Cheshire Police Department, said. "It's not a laughing matter. It's not a joke."
Police ask residents to remain vigilant and report any unusual or suspicious behaviors.
Anyone with information should call Cheshire Police at (203) 271-5500.
