Taylor police are seeking additional potential victims after two women reported similar incidents at the Target near Southland Mall on Aug. 9. The cases have not resulted in authorized charges, according to WXYZ 7 News Detroit.
WXYZ reported that Shellee Hatch said a man wiped lotion onto her buttocks, and that a second woman reported a similar incident at the same store within an hour. Store surveillance cameras reportedly captured both incidents. Taylor police arrested a man in connection with the reports, but the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office did not authorize charges, saying more elements were needed to pursue a possible fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge, WXYZ reported.
What the statute does—and does not—establish
Michigan’s fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct statute requires sexual contact and at least one circumstance listed in the law. One is force or coercion; the statute includes contact achieved through concealment or surprise within that category, according to the Michigan Legislature. That legal framework does not establish whether the reported conduct meets the statute’s elements. WXYZ’s account does not specify what additional elements the prosecutor’s office said were needed, and the reported decision not to authorize charges does not establish whether charges will later be filed.
How to report information
People who believe they may have been targeted in these incidents are being asked to contact Taylor police at 734-287-6611, extension 2034, as reported by WXYZ. For nonemergency incidents generally, the City of Taylor says people can call the department’s main number to request an officer or visit the police front desk at any time.
