Palo Alto Sex Crimes Probed

PALO ALTO, CA — Police are asking for the public’s help in their investigation of two sex crimes against women in Palo Alto parks on Labor Day believed to involve the same suspect, the Palo Alto Police Department announced in a news release.

Police have released two sketches of the suspect, who they say exposed himself to one victim and assaulted another in incidents that were reported about an hour apart.

The first incident was reported Monday at about 9:30 a.m., according to police.

A police dispatcher received a call from a woman reporting an indecent exposure incident that occurred at El Camino Park at 155 El Camino Real.

The investigation revealed that the suspect had approached the victim, a woman in her twenties, as she was practicing soccer by herself.

The man complemented her appearance in Spanish, and then watched her from about 50 feet away. He then exposed himself to her.

When she went to retrieve her cell phone to call for help, he walked away.

At about 10:29 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center received a call of a sexual battery that had just occurred at Timothy Hopkins Creekside Park in the 500 block of Palo Alto Avenue.

The victim, a woman in her twenties, reported that she and her boyfriend had been taking a nap on the grass. She was awakened by the unknown suspect touching her private parts over her clothing.

Her boyfriend woke up and challenged the suspect, who left on foot.

Due to the geographic proximity, the timing of these two incidents, and the similar suspect description, detectives believe the same suspect is likely responsible for both crimes.

The two victims described the suspect as a Latino male between 40 and 50 years of age, about 5'8" to 5'10", who was wearing a tan or gray T-shirt, jeans, a hat, and work boots.

The indecent exposure victim reported that he had been carrying a beer.

Both victims independently met with a police sketch artist later in the week, who produced the two sketches attached to this release.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call the Palo Alto Police Department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413.

Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the PAPD’s free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

— Bay City News and Patch Editor Gideon Rubin contributed to this report.