UPDATE: On Oct. 18, at about 9 p.m., the Healdsburg Police Department made an arrest on a male transient sought on suspicion of sexually battery against a female jogger on Oct. 13.
The police department was able to obtain surveillance video footage of the suspect running away through the Healdsburg Community Center after the alleged crime. Still images of the suspect were released to the media and community for help in identification.
A concerned citizen subsequently called the police department and provided information that led officers to identify a local transient, 20-year-old JuanDavid Simonyi, as a potential suspect in this case.
Simonyi is known to the police from previous police-related contacts that included illegal camping and illegal dumping near waterways, however he had not been previously arrested by HPD. Based on the above identification, officers were then able to physically locate Simonyi near the Healdsburg downtown area and proceeded to interview him regarding the incident.
Simonyi was cooperative with the officers and, according to the police, eventually admitted to the assault, acknowledging he made a mistake, and had no justifiable explanation for his illegal behavior. Simonyi provided further information that the officers were able to ascertain he was in fact the suspect they had been looking for.
Simonyi was taken into custody on a single count of suspicion of Sexual Battery, a misdemeanor, and booked into the Sonoma County Jail without further incident. Simonyi had no previous arrests in Healdsburg or the County of Sonoma and no other similar cases of sexual battery/assault have been reported to the police.
The Healdsburg Police Department wants to acknowledge and thank its citizens for their assistance and support in identifying the suspect in this case.Â
Editor’s Note: All suspects named are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Below are the original releases from the Healdsburg Police Department:
UPDATE: Healdsburg Police Department has provided a photo of the suspect.
On Oct. 13 at approximately 8:24 p.m. a woman was jogging north on Grove Street near Healdsburg Avenue when a subject ran up from behind her and grabbed the female in a sexual manner on her buttocks. The subject then walked south toward the Healdsburg Community Center, climbed over a fence and continued walking south on the railroad tracks.Â
The suspect was described as a light skinned Hispanic or American Indian male, possibly in his early to mid-20s, approximately six feet tall, medium build, with straight black, shoulder-length hair, clean shaven and was last seen wearing a black jumpsuit type jacket and black colored sweatpants.Â
Officers canvassed the area but were unable to locate the subject. The Healdsburg Police Department is actively looking into all investigative leads at this time. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, contact the Watch Commander at 707-431-3377 and refer to case No. 19-1248.Â