A Ventura man was arrested last week after approaching a 14-year-old girl as she walked in her neighborhood and grabbing her butt, officials said.
Around 1:30 p.m. May 20, police received a 911 call from the girl’s father saying an unknown man grabbed his daughter as she walked home from school, the Ventura Police Department said in a news release Thursday.
An investigation revealed that the girl was walking home from school on the 1700 Block of Victoria Avenue when the man approached her and engaged her in conversation, police said.
“As the girl was trying to disengage from the conversation and avoid the suspect, she was grabbed in the buttocks,” the news release states.
The girl fled from the area and notified her parents when she returned home.
Her father returned to the location of the occurrence, found the suspect and confronted him, police said. The father notified authorities but the suspect was gone by the time police arrived.
Detectives identified the suspect as 26-year-old Ashley Claxton of Ventura.
He was located in front of his residence and taken into custody. He was subsequently booked into Ventura County Jail on suspicion of felony lewd act with a child.
There may be additional victims and anyone who has had contact with the suspect is asked to contact the Ventura Police at 805-650-8010.