(UPDATE 4:01 p.m.) –– In the continuing investigation into the recent forcible touching incidents, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that it has learned that one incident involved rape.
The sheriff’s office said it is working to identify the suspect and prevent additional incidents.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Sheriff’s office at 607-266-5420.
Criminal Investigations Division can be reached at 607-257-1345 and the Tompkins County 911 Center can be reached at 607-272-2444.
Anyone who may have something to report but is not ready to contact law enforcement, or is in need of support regarding a sexual assault, is urged to call the Advocacy Center’s 24/7 hotline number at 607-277-5000.
Earlier–
TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. — The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a man who displayed a knife and forcibly touched two women in two separate incidents in Tompkins County. The sheriff’s office has increased patrols in the area until the suspect is identified.
The first incident took place on Oct. 14 on the 2600 block of Danby Road near the Finger Lakes Trail. The second incident reportedly took place on Oct. 28 on the Thayer Preserve Trail on Sand Bank Road in Ithaca. The sheriff’s office said the incidents are “potentially related” and took place in the early evening hours before dusk.
The suspect is described as a white man between the ages of 20 and 30, between 5’6″ and 5’8″ with a stocky build. The sheriff’s office said he was wearing dark clothing and a ski mask, and said they do not know if the suspect traveled on foot or by vehicle.
The sheriff’s office asks people to “remain vigilant” when visiting these areas. Anyone with information related to the possible identity of the suspect is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Division at 607-257-1345, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 607-266-5420 or the Tompkins County 911 Center at 607-272-2444.