Henry Yanez III was arrested after two incidents of inappropriate behavior affecting two female victims near campus after having been arrested under similar circumstances in 2015. UAPD recounts the timeline of Yanez’s crimes and responds to community speculation that Yanez may be connected to crimes against women dating back to December.
On Sunday afternoon, the University of Arizona Police Department sent a Clery Timely Warning to the campus community regarding a report of stalking that occurred the day before on Euclid Avenue and 1st Street.
The warning indicated that at 3 p.m. on Saturday, a man drove up to the reporting party, a woman unaffiliated with campus, and repeatedly offered her rides, which she declined.
According to the case report, the woman entered the Chipotle at Main Gate Square and saw that the man, later identified as 41-year-old Henry Yanez III, was parked across the street. The suspect left shortly after the encounter.
At 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Yanez allegedly assaulted a female student, reportedly groping her near Park Avenue and University Boulevard. Yanez identified himself by his first name to the victim and was driving the same vehicle described in the stalking report the day before.
According to a press release issued Aug. 12, UAPD detectives and officers from the UAPD Patrol Bureau contacted Yanez at his off-campus residence. Yanez was confirmed to be the suspect in both incidents and was arrested on one charge of assault. He was also issued an exclusionary order from UA premises.
Yanez has been arrested for similar crimes before. In June 2015, he was arrested for two incidents of stalking on campus following a joint investigation between UAPD and the Tucson Police Department.
Community members have speculated that Yanez may be connected to previous incidents of groping and harassment near campus dating back to December. In a Facebook comment on a KOLD 13 News article detailing Yanez’s arrest, one person wrote, “Could this be the serial groper that’s been assaulting women all year?”
UAPD considered that connection, but in the same article, KOLD 13 News interviewed UAPD officer Marvin Smith, who said there is not enough information to conclude that Yanez is the perpetrator in all of the incidents.
“As we continue our investigation, that may be the case, but at this moment, I don’t have the information to say if that is or isn’t the case,” Smith told KOLD 13 News.
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