St. George police seek suspect after sexual assault on walking path

ST. GEORGE — Police on Wednesday said they were still looking for the man who sexually assaulted a woman in her 70s on a walking path.

It happened Monday on a path near the Man-O-War bridge, according to St. George police spokeswoman Tiffany Mitchell.

Mitchell said the unknown man approached the woman from behind, grabbed and groped her, and then ran.

"We were unable to locate that male even though we responded very quickly, lots of officers there," Mitchell told KSL-TV. "Even with the use of our drones, we were not able to locate this male."

Mitchell said officers have also combed the area since, but still no signs of the man.

This was the second recent sexual assault case along the Virgin River Trail System, and police believe there is a "strong possibility" the same man is responsible for both, Mitchell said.

"Those trails in general—there's a lot of places to hide," Mitchell said. "There's bushes and shrubs and trees and so it's easy for someone to disappear or hide themselves, unfortunately."

Police said people heading out to the area to exercise should consider wearing only one earbud at a time, keeping one ear free to hear what's going on in the surrounding environment.

They also said it is good to go out with a phone and possibly a weapon, like mace, to counter a possible attack.

Investigators said the attacker is described as a man with a dark skin tone and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a golden brown-colored shirt, black shorts and possibly a hat or beanie.

Anybody with information was asked to contact the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300.

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