17-year-old reports sexual assault near a St. Catharines park

A teen walking a dog in a St. Catharines park reported a sexual assault on Labour day.

The 17-year-old boy was walking his German shepherd northbound along a gravel trail on Monday (Sept. 5) around 1 p.m. when a man approached, spoke with the teen then led him into a wooded area, according to Niagara Regional Police Service.

The alleged sexual assault happened in a wooded area near Malcolmson Eco Park, 325 Lakeshore Rd., in  St. Catharines, police said. The victim and suspect were not known to each other.

The victim sustained no physical injuries.

The suspect is described as a white man, 20 to 30 years old, five feet one inch tall with a muscular build. He has blue eyes, blonde, shoulder-length hair that was shaved on the sides, and a beard.

The suspect was last seen wearing black pants, black dress shoes, a green jacket with a short sleeve button-up shirt that was pink, blue, green and yellow underneath.

Detectives are appealing to anyone who may have been at Malcolmson Eco Park at the time of the incident and area residents who have CCTV footage that captures the area surrounding the park.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the lead detective at 905-688-4111, option 3. Or contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.  Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information that leads to an arrest.