Crime & Safety

Recent Public Indecency, Groping Reports on Prairie Path in Glen Ellyn Not Related: Police

A man exposed himself to a runner on path in June and a different man forcibly groped a woman walking on the trail on July 28, police said.

Police do not believe the same person is responsible for a public indecency incident that occurred along the Illinois Prairie Path in Glen Ellyn in June and an incident involving a woman who was groped while walking on the path in recent weeks, Dawn Domrose, Dawn Domrose, public information officer for the DuPage County Sheriff's Office, said Monday.

The most recent incident happened on July 28 at about 7 p.m. A female victim was walking on the Prairie Path near Hill Avenue in Glen Ellyn when a man on a bicycle started to forcibly grope the victim, according to a DuPage County Sheriff’s Office press release. Police could not provide anymore details Monday regarding that incident.

The victim described the suspect as a Hispanic male between 25 to 35 years old who is 5-feet 10 inches to 6-feet tall. He had dark hair with a buzz cut and a slight goatee. The suspect was wearing a t-shirt and shorts of an unknown color and riding a bicycle of an unknown model or color, according to police.

That suspect description does not match the suspect description given to police regarding two reports of public indecency that occurred in early June--one that happened along the Prairie Path and another that occurred outside a fitness center in downtown Glen Ellyn, Domrose said.

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At about 7:45 p.m. on June 5, a 22-year-old female jogger told police she was running on the Illinois Prairie Path near Walnut Glen Park when she noticed a man with his shorts down, according to the press release. As she ran past him, he turned and walked toward her while exposing himself.

He then ran southbound from the scene.

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The suspect is described as a black male with light complexion in his late teens or early twenties. He is about five feet seven inches tall with athletic build and short black hair. He was wearing black basketball shorts with red trim and a grey hooded sweatshirt, police said.

The description of the offender in the June 5 incident, and the circumstances, are similar to a case that happened on June 9 near a fitness store in downtown Glen Ellyn, according to a Glen Ellyn Police Department press release.

Detectives from the sheriff’s office did speak with the Glen Ellyn Police Department regarding the recent incidents and determined since a Hispanic male is described as the suspect in the June incidents and a black male is described as the suspect in the recent Prairie Path groping incident, the crimes are likely not related.

“It’s not the same person,” Domrose said.

Despite the recent reports, Domrose said such incidents along the Prairie Path, which typically falls under the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, are extremely rare. In the past ten years, Domrose can only remember “just a few incidents” along the Prairie Path.

Those out on the path should follow standard safety measures, which include:
  • Be aware of your surroundings
  • Walk, run or ride with someone
  • If you are wearing ear buds or headphones, be sure you are able to hear what’s going on around you as well
  • Residents should call 911 in the event of an emergency and are also urged report any suspicious activity to police

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