A 30-year-old man is facing charges in connection with two alleged sexual assaults of female youths that occurred two days apart in Richmond Hill. The first incident happened on Aug. 12, at around 3:15 p.m., in the area of Highway 7 and Bayview Avenue. A girl was walking in the area when she was approached by an unknown man. York Regional Police said the suspect grabbed her, attempted to cover her mouth and touched her for a sexual purpose. The victim was able to free herself, police said, and run away. Then two days later, at around 11:30 a.m. in the same area, another girl was walking on a trail in the same area. Similar to what happened before, police said the youth was approached by an unknown man who allegedly covered her mouth, and touched her for a sexual purpose. Police said the victim freed herself and fled. Soon after the incident on Aug. 14, police said they found a suspect in the area and brought him into custody. In Tuesday’s news release, police said they charged 30-year-old Jan-Hoy Cassells of no fixed address. Cassells has been charged with four different offences, including sexual assault with a weapon. Investigators are releasing an image of the accused as they believe there are additional victims. Police are asking anyone with additional information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
