AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department (APD) is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a man accused of attempting to sexually assault someone on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail in southeast Austin last month.
The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, on the trail, parallel to the 1700 block of South Lakeshore Boulevard.
According to police, the suspect approached a victim walking on the trail and asked them what time it was.
When the victim showed the suspect the time on their cellphone, the suspect allegedly grabbed the victim by the arms, threw them to the ground, began to touch them inappropriately and attempted to sexually assault them.
Austinites who frequent the trails are shocked.
"Definitely a little bit of a concern. And everyone has been so friendly, so it makes me a little apprehensive when now I realize that," trail visitor Cate Boller said.
Jess Andrews lives close to the area.
"You have to stay on high alert, which is not great when you're trying to trail, walk and relax. But it's just how it is these days," Andrews said.
The SAFE Alliance reports approximately two in five women will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
"Unfortunately, this type of incident is not uncommon," said Bronwyn Blake, the chief legal officer of Texas Advocacy Project, which works with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. "This type of incident is why the state of Texas created a brand new criminal offense in 2019 called indecent assault."
Blake's hope is for law enforcement and prosecutors to prosecute this to the fullest extent.
"In the last legislative session, our Legislature added an enhancement for this offense – which shows they are taking it seriously –so that if someone is committing indecent assault a number of times, that it won't just be a misdemeanor anymore; it can be a state jail felony," Blake said. "They'll be able to take advantage of that new enhancement we've had for less than a year."
She is hopeful more work will get done to respond to incidents like these.
"To make sure that we believe women, and then we take things like this seriously and we can hopefully create some culture change," Blake said.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man, approximately 6 feet tall, with a dark complexion, heavy build, large hands, brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a navy blue backwards hat, a navy blue shirt and gym shorts.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact APD’s Sex Crimes Unit at 512-974-5095 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.
If you have any legal concerns related to dating and domestic violence or sexual assault, you are encouraged to call Texas Advocacy Project at 800-374-HOPE.