The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating multiple alleged sexual assaults that occurred at a business off 48th Avenue in Allendale Township on Aug. 18-19.
According to OCSO, deputies determined a 16-year-old boy from Ionia County had closely followed women and/or girls within the store and, on several occasions, made inappropriate sexual contact. He left the area Aug. 18 before law enforcement arrived.
The following day, store employees told deputies the teen had returned and again followed shoppers. He approached at least one woman with her child and partially exposed himself, according to OCSO.
Deputies were able to locate the suspect, who was turned over to his parents. His name will not be released because he’s a minor, police said. When the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Ottawa County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review and consideration of potential charges.
Anyone with information, or who may have had a similar experience, is asked to contact Central Dispatch at 1-800-249-0911 or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT (745368) or mosotips.com.
— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on X and Bluesky @cassideykava.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ionia County teen accused of following, assaulting shopping women in Allendale Twp.
Reporting by Cassidey Kavathas, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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