Officials meet with neighbors to discuss Bay View sex assaults
BAY VIEW -- Bay View officials held a meeting Wednesday evening, July 11th regarding a sex offender suspect they are seeking. Police believe the man is responsible for four sexual assaults, all between February 23rd and June 23rd.
Police say in some cases, the man followed the victims to their doors -- information that is troubling to neighbors who like to think they live in a safe community.
Police say most of the assaults occurred around midnight.
"He approaches a lone female, whispers something in her ear, usually something like 'don`t scream' or 'don`t move' then at that point gropes the females," Milwaukee Police Captain James Shephard said.
Police have put together a composite of the suspect they are seeking. They describe him as a white man, about 20 to 25 years old. They say he is about 5'6" to 5'11" tall. He has reportedly targeted white females in their early 20s to mid-30s.
"The individual comes up from behind, engages in unwanted touching, and as soon as there`s a scream, the individual goes running off," Milwaukee Alderman Tony Zielinski said.
Kate Fowdy lives in Bay View and is the head of the Bay View Neighborhood Association. She says the meeting Wednesday evening was a wake-up call.
"I appreciate that people are scared and I'm certainly scared too. It's always important to keep safety first and make sure you're not walking by yourself at night," Fowdy said.
Police don't believe the suspect is armed. They say they are going through sex offender registries, looking for potential suspects.
Four people have been taken into custody for questioning, but have been released.
Officials are asking neighbors to remain vigilant.
"Just to be careful and just look behind you as you're opening your door," Alderman Zielinski said.
Police say the suspect usually wears a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. In a few instances, he was chased away by the victims' boyfriends.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact police at (414) 935-7405.
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