Modesto Police Release Sketch Of Man They Say Posed As Cop, Assaulted Woman
By Abbott Dutton
MODESTO (CBS13) — Modesto Police have released a sketch in hopes of finding a suspect they say impersonated a police officer and assaulted a woman.
The alleged assault happened around 3 a.m. on Nov. 26. The woman's car was acting up, so she pulled over on G Street. That's when she says the man approached and told her he was a cop. He threatened to arrest her and then jumped in the passenger seat.
Modesto Police spokeswoman Heather Graves says the woman then drove to a nearby lot.
"She stopped the car briefly in the parking lot when he exposed himself and assaulted her," she said. "She drove out of the parking lot and near a group of individuals standing nearby. From there he saw them and took off."
The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic male with some acne scarring. Police believe it's an isolated incident.
But why did it take more than a month to get word out about the incident?
"We've been working with the victim and sketch artist to get the sketch compiled," she said. "We wanted to be able to get a full story out to the public."
Graves says all Modesto police carry IDs, and you shouldn't be afraid to ask for it.
"If you're not comfortable with the situation, you can ask for identification or a badge first, you can call dispatch," she said.
Officers say it's always a good idea to be prepared for something like that. Have something to defend yourself, like pepper spray.
"Right now it appears to be random because we've only had the one incident and no other reported ones nearby," Graves said. "So I would say it's not cause for panic but definitely to heighten your senses and be aware of your surroundings."