Rohnert Park police seek man suspected of assaulting jogger

Rohnert Park police Tuesday were looking for an unknown man suspected of assaulting a woman jogging on Copeland Creek trail.

A man came up behind the jogger just after noon Monday and put his arm around her neck in a hold, Sgt. Jeff Justice said.

The woman fought him off and the man ran toward Seed Farm Drive, police said. He apparently did not speak during the encounter.

The man was described as white with a thin build, about 5-foot-11 and appearing to be 19 years old. He had brown hair and was clean shaven, police said. He wore a black “Russian style” hat with furry ear flaps, a white T-shirt and black sweatpants. As the man ran away, the woman said she saw him reach down and grab a sweatshirt on the ground, Justice said.

Justice said officers walked along the creek trail Tuesday looking for someone matching his description.

The woman told officers she first spotted the man on the opposite side of the creek and when she doubled back to return he had crossed onto her side, Justice said.

Copeland Creek trail travels from about Commerce Boulevard to Sonoma State University. In May, police said they were investigating a pair of incidents near the trail. Gunshots were reportedly fired at a group of teens in the Rancho Cotate High School parking lot on April 17, and a 20-year-old man who was walking on the trail was stabbed April 26 by a man who ran away. The wound was not life-threatening.

Anyone with information about the case can call the Rohnert Park Public Safety Department at 584-2600.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjreport.