At 2:40 p.m. on May 7 a woman was unloading her car in the 900 block of Wilshire Boulevard when a man walked up to her from behind and grabbed her in the crotch area. The woman screamed and the man ran away.
Santa Monica police arrived and took a description of the man. Shortly after, police stopped a man at the 1100 block of Seventh Street fitting the suspect’s description. Police drove the woman past the suspect, and she identified him as the man who grabbed her.
Lee Tarvis Belcher, a 39-year-old white transient, was arrested and booked for sexual battery. Bail was set at $5,000.
With any additional information regarding these crimes contact the office of crime investigations at 310-458-8451.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 23, 2002. Read the original PDF.