Victoria police have arrested a man in connection with an indecent act in Beacon Hill Park and continue to investigate whether the suspect is responsible for other sex-related crimes in the area.
The arrest is related to an indecent act on Aug. 9 at 6:30 p.m. when police were called to Beacon Hill Park in the area of the rock bridge over Goodacre Lake.
A woman reported that a man who had been walking his bike, sat down beside her while she was sitting and reading, asked her inappropriate questions, and then exposed himself.
Victoria police arrested the man on Thursday and recommended one charge of an indecent act and two counts of failing to comply with probation.
Police spokesman Const. Matt Rutherford said police “will continue their investigation into the other reported indecent acts that have occurred in our jurisdiction to see if any are related.”
On Aug. 8, a woman reported an indecent act while she was on the Galloping Goose Regional Trail near the Cecelia Road bridge just before 6 p.m.
The woman told police as she walked southbound she saw a man sitting on a bench, and noted that he had a hand in his pants. As she passed, she told police, the man exposed himself, stood and began to follow her.
A short time later, an unidentified woman on a bicycle approached her and reported the man had done the same thing toward her.
Police said the two women continued together away from the area, with the man following them. They phoned police.
The woman on the bike did not wait for police to arrive.
On Aug. 12, a woman told police that when she was walking home near the intersection of Douglas and Superior streets, she stopped in the park.
There, “she became briefly unconscious,” said police spokesman Bowen Osoko.
When she woke a few minutes later, a stranger was touching her. Victoria police said the man was not responsible for the woman losing consciousness. She told the man “no” and was able to get away, Osoko said. The man did not follow her.
She called a family member, who called police. The incident happened between 2:20 a.m. and 3:10 a.m.
Anyone with information is asked to call Victoria police at 250-995-7654 or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
