OCSD: Man assaulted girls, both 10, in Proud Lake

Oakland County Sheriff’s Department personnel are seeking the public’s help in catching a man who allegedly approached three young girls in the Proud Lake Recreation Area in Commerce Township and assaulted two of them.

Two 10-year-old girls and a 6-year-old girl were walking along the trails north of the dam in the Proud Lake Recreation Area on their way back to their family’s picnic site on Sunday, May 29 when they walked past an unknown male going in the opposite direction, according to law enforcement officials.

A little while later, the girls noticed the man was trailing behind them. He then allegedly ran up to one of the 10-year-old girls and grab her hips in a “tickling manner.”

When the girl fell to the ground, the suspect allegedly began to pull her pants down. Meanwhile, the other 10-year-old attempted to push the man away, but he knocked her back by slapping her face, according to a Sheriff’s Department report. The suspect then ran away, and the girls ran to their parents, who called 911.

An extensive search of the recreation area’s trails, picnic areas, and buildings didn’t result in the apprehension of the suspect.

He is described as being a white male, possibly in his 20s, and wearing a white T-shirt with black print, blue jean shorts and tennis shoes.

The investigation remains open.

A $1,000 reward is being offered from Crime Stoppers (1-800-SPEAK-UP) in addition to a $1,000 reward from the victim’s family for information leading to an arrest.