17-year-old suspect in Chapel Hill trail incidents accused of sexual battery
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- Police identified a 17-year-old suspect in multiple trail incidents in Chapel Hill.
- Police seek a juvenile petition for sexual battery after a Nov. 7 trail contact.
- Officers increased patrols near Umstead Drive and Pritchard Ave.; probe continues.
Chapel Hill police have identified a 17-year-old suspect in connection with a series of incidents on trails in the Umstead Drive and Pritchard Avenue Extension area .
Police are seeking a juvenile petition for sexual battery in a Nov. 7 incident, police said Wednesday. That day, a woman said a man touched her while she was running on Bolin Creek Trail near Pritchard Avenue Extension around 3:40 p.m. The man was wearing a black hooded jacket and gray sweatpants.
Police put out a statement on Nov. 14 that investigators were looking into similarities between that incident and two others:
- On Oct. 23 around noon, a woman reported concerns about a man, wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants, pacing on the Tanyard Branch Trail.
- On Nov. 12 around 6:20 p.m., two women reported a man, wearing a dark zip-up jacket and dark pants, following them between Umstead Park and Village Drive.
No one else is suspected to be involved, Chapel Hill town spokesperson Alex Carrasquillo told The News & Observer.
Increased patrols will continue on and near trails in the area of Umstead Drive and Pritchard Avenue Extension, police said Wednesday.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 2:51 PM with the headline "17-year-old suspect in Chapel Hill trail incidents accused of sexual battery."
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