CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 47-year-old who allegedly used pepper spray to molest a girl in Ichikawa City earlier this year, reports Chiba Television Broadcasting (April 28).
At around 8:00 p.m. on January 25, Hideo Yokoyama, of no known occupation, sprayed the girl in the face with pepper spray inside a toilet in a building in the city. He then fondled her body.
The girl, 18, suffered injuries that required one week to heal, police said.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of indecent assault on Tuesday, Yokoyama declined to comment on the allegations.
According to police, Yokoyama was not acquainted with the girl. After the incident, she consulted with a koban police box.
The suspect surfaced as a person of interest for police after an examination of security camera footage.
Police are now investigating whether Yokoyama was behind another similar incident earlier this month.
