Owasso, Sapulpa Police Investigate Separate Incidents Of Men Groping Teenagers In Stores; Suspects Arrested

Owasso and Sapulpa police are investigating similar crimes where they said men walked into a store and groped kids.

Sapulpa police said the same man went into a store twice in the last few days and touched a 16-year-old and 12-year-old. 

Owasso police arrested a man accused of groping a 17-year-old working at an auto parts store.

Officers at both departments said random sexual battery encounters like these are not very common.

They're glad both suspects are in custody.

Sapulpa police Major Terry Wiggs said the first case happened Sunday at Dollar General when a 16-year-old girl was shopping with her mom.

She said James Alexander came up to her and touched her behind.

“She advised us as she was leaving, a man came behind her and grabbed her on the backside,” said Major Wiggs. 

Alexander ran off and the police couldn’t find him.

But Major Wiggs said Alexander came back to the same store Tuesday.

“We got another call from Dollar General advising there were citizens chasing a man who had molested a juvenile girl,” said Wiggs. 

Officers found Alexander later at a nearby motel and arrested him. Wiggs said citizens helped point officers in the right direction.

“The victim Tuesday was 12. I think the citizens there that witnessed probably couldn't believe what they were seeing,” Wiggs said. “This subject is 39 years old.”

Around the same time Tuesday afternoon, police said a 17-year-old was working at an auto parts in Owasso and was stocking parts when he said a man grabbed his behind.

Police arrested 64-year-old Mark Jordan.

“The juvenile employee was stocking shelves, putting some on the bottom shelf, and he advised a customer came up and just grabbed him,” said Lt. Nick Boatman. “His full hand. It was unwanted, unwarranted, and it made him very uncomfortable.”

Both departments said the teenagers did a good job by speaking up.

Records show Alexander has previous sexual assault convictions and most recently got out of prison in June, and was arrested two weeks later for groping another girl, but that case was dismissed.

Jordan has previous convictions for assaulting a police officer and DUI.