By Paula Ann Solis
Staff Writer

Waco Police Department officers are investigating a sexual assault and an act of public indecency that occurred this week at Cameron Park, said Sgt. Patrick Swanton, Waco police public information officer.

The two incidents involve two women, and both incidents occurred near Jacob’s Ladder. Both women described the suspect as a 5-feet-9 inch Hispanic man weighing 175 pounds with short black hair, according to a press release by Waco police.

The first woman was assaulted at noon Tuesday. She was jogging alone when a man touched her inappropriately, but he left the scene when another jogger approached. She left the park, went home and 30 minutes later alerted police of the incident, Swanton said.

At noon Wednesday, another woman reported seeing a man matching the same description who had his hands in his pants while gesturing to the woman to come with him. She alerted a Cameron Park Ranger immediately.

Because of her quick reaction, Waco police arrived at the scene in time to find a person matching the description a few blocks away.

Aside from his physical similarity to the women’s description, there were other factors that drew police toward him, though Swanton said he could not reveal at this time what those factors were.

The person of interest was not taken into custody and no arrests have been made.

Swanton said the Cameron Park security surveillance system was not helpful in identifying suspects for this case because of their location.

Swanton said patrons should never visit the park alone and should keep their cell phones on them at all times.

Visitors should also be cautious when using headphones that hinder the ability to hear people approaching from behind.