Michigan man caught allegedly squirting lotion on women at Target, then telling them to check their “bottom”
Police had surveillance footage and an arrest. Prosecutors still said the case was missing something.
A Michigan woman says she initially thanked a stranger who pointed out something on the back of her clothing during a Target trip. It was only later that she learned police believed another shopper had been approached in a similar way less than an hour earlier.
Shellee Hatch told WXYZ the Aug. 9 encounter happened at the Target near Southland Mall in Taylor, Michigan. She said she had already noticed the same man in three different aisles before he started talking to her long enough that she wondered whether he was following her.
As Hatch walked away, she says the man told her she had something on her “backside” and offered to remove it. He allegedly wiped the area, showed her a large amount of white lotion and touched her again as she left. About 20 minutes later, Hatch spotted a Taylor police officer inside the store and learned another woman had already reported an encounter.
Police say another shopper reported the same setup
Taylor police told WXYZ that the two incidents happened within an hour and were captured on Target surveillance cameras. CBS Detroit reported that the women were in their 40s and 60s and that investigators believe the lotion came from inside the store.
According to police, the other woman noticed lotion on her clothing after a man approached her in another aisle. She alerted store security, which contacted police, and CBS Detroit reported that officers arrested a suspect within minutes of the first report.
Hatch said she had not immediately viewed the interaction as threatening because she thought the stranger was trying to help. Learning about the other report changed how she understood what had happened.
Detective Zachary DiGiacomo encouraged anyone who experiences something similar to notify store employees and police quickly. Other Target shoppers have asked employees for help after noticing men following them through the store.
Hatch’s daughter, Colleen Rowland, said her mother is now uncomfortable returning to the store alone. She recently accompanied Hatch on another shopping trip because her mother did not want to go back by herself.
The arrest did not result in charges
Police arrested the man shortly after the incidents, but the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office declined the warrant request. WXYZ reported that Taylor Police Chief John Blair said prosecutors needed more evidence to support a possible fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charge.
An arrest and a charging decision are separate steps in Wayne County. The prosecutor’s Warrants Section says attorneys review police reports, witness statements and other evidence submitted by law enforcement before deciding whether to approve charges, send a case back for more investigation or deny the request.
Michigan’s fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct law is also more specific than whether unwanted touching occurred. It requires legally defined sexual contact along with another qualifying circumstance. Michigan law counts sexual contact obtained through “concealment or by the element of surprise” as force or coercion and defines sexual contact by whether a reasonable person would understand the touching as sexual in purpose or manner.
Taylor police have not said which part of those standard prosecutors thought the evidence failed to support. CBS Detroit reported that investigators are continuing to look for additional possible victims and may pursue charges through a local prosecutor if more evidence emerges.
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