An 18-year-old man suspected of groping one woman and exposing himself to a girl along the Western Canal in Mesa late last year has been arrested, police said.
Detectives arrested Gavin Harbour on suspicion of assault and indecent exposure on Jan. 9, ending a weekslong investigation and search, the Mesa Police Department announced in a news release.
Police said the incidents occurred in late November and early December, and both started with Harbour asking for directions to a nearby gas station.
A police report stated that during the first incident, on Nov. 26, the woman was running along the canal near Carriage Lane Park when a man on a bicycle approached her.
After asking for directions, the man asked the woman whether she would have sex with him and grabbed her backside, prompting her to run away, according to the report.
As she fled, the man followed her for about a mile and tried to grab her again, the report stated.
The man then rode away, according to police.
About a week later, a 16-year-old was running along the canal near Carriage Lane Park when a man on a bike approached her to ask for directions, according to the report.
Police reported that after the man told the girl she was cute, she ran away, and the man called out to her. As she turned, police said, she saw the man exposing himself to her, so she continued to run away.
In mid-December, police asked for the public’s help identifying the man.
“Detectives worked tirelessly on this case, following every lead that was presented,” the department news release said.
Those leads, police said, pointed the detectives to Harbour.
People with additional information about the alleged incidents can contact Mesa police at 480-644-2211.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gavin Harbour held in Mesa groping, indecent exposure cases near canal