PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are launching extra patrols in the downtown area after yet another report of a woman being "groped" while out walking.

 

Police say on Thursday at about 9:27 a.m. a 19-year-old woman said she was groped by a man while she was walking on South Street near the Colonial Theatre. The woman describes the man as being a "white male, dark brown colored hair, clean shaven, with a scrawny thin build."

 

"This incident is the fourth reported assault in recent weeks. The Pittsfield Police Department asks residents and visitors to be vigilant while walking alone and to immediately contact police if they suspect they are being followed. The Detective Bureau is investigating the incidents and patrol officers are conducting extra patrols of the downtown and outlying areas," wrote Capt. Jeffrey Bradford in a release issued to the media on Monday.

 

Police have received numerous reports of walkers and joggers being accosted in the southeast side of the city. None of the victims have been reported to have injured and it is unknown if it is the same man every time.

 

In the previous instances, the perpetrator has been described as being in his 20s, of Caucasian or Hispanic descent, with dark hard, facial hair, and a thin to medium build.