TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Haltom City police are investigating two incidents that may be linked to the same suspect: an incident of indecent exposure and an incident of assault by contact.
Two teenage girls reported the separate incidents earlier this week, according to authorities.
Police said around 8 a.m. Wednesday a 17-year-old girl was walking on Haltom Road toward Haltom High School when she saw a man standing at an intersection.
The man said "hi" as the girl walked by. She responded "hello" and kept walking, police said.
The teen ran into the same man at a different intersection, police said. During this encounter, the man and the teen did not talk, according to police.
The teen continued her walk along a brick walk in the nearby neighborhood. She told police she approached a "break in the wall" and saw the man with his pants down, masturbating.
She screamed at the man and he fled, officers say. Once the teen got to school she reported the incident to police.
The teen described the man as being 20 to 25 years old, 5-feet-9 inches tall with brown hair. He was wearing a dark green jacket and black pants during the incident, authorities say.
The next day around 7:23 a.m., a 16-year-old girl was walking from Buffalo Ridge Park towards Haltom High. The teen told police a man ran up to her and grabbed her breasts.
The man then ran away through the park, according to detectives. This man is described as having a similar build as the suspect from the previous incident, police say.
Authorities ask anyone with information on the two incidents to contact Haltom police at 817-222-7000 or dispatch at 817-281-1000. The detective in the case can be reached at jtrevino@haltomcitytx.com.
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