North Augusta police arrested a man Sunday after he allegedly targeted juvenile girls inside the Knox Avenue Walmart.
Tyler Woods, 21, of Hephzibah, asked a 15-year-old stranger for a hug and wrapped his arms around her after she declined, a police report says. When she squirmed away, he allegedly smacked her on the buttocks and only stopped when her grandfather stepped in.
Officers were told by Walmart employees that different customers were complaining about Woods attempting to speak to their juvenile daughters and touching them, along with a Walmart employee stating that Woods was asking for her social media information.
That employee, 21-year-old Zalin McKinney, snapped a photo of the man’s arrest. She said he had tried to assault a-14-year-old girl but ran off when her mom approached.
“He was seen wandering the store, looking for young girls,” McKinney said.
McKinney said Woods also harassed her and asked for her social media before she ignored him and walked away. It was a half-hour later when the suspect approached the 15-year-old girl.
The teen victim told police that the stranger approached her when she was away from her relatives near the bicycles section. He asked if she had a Snapchat or Instagram. The victim responded that she did and tried to walk away. The strange man asked for a hug and she said no.
“Woods proceeded to hug the victim anyways and pick her up off the ground,” a report says. “While he was hugging the juvenile, he grabbed her in the buttocks and only stopped when her grandfather saw them around the corner and asked what he was doing. That is when Woods let her down and then smacked her in the buttocks before leaving.”
The responding officer found Woods and handcuffed him.
“What did she tell you?” the suspect asked the officer.
Woods claimed he approached the attractive girl and asked how old she was, saying the girl answered that she was 19. He denied touching the victim but then admitted it and claimed the girl asked him to, a report says.
While officers initially sought a charge of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, Woods was booked for assault & battery in the first degree, a felony. He was released Tuesday on a $5,000 bond from the Aiken County Detention Center.
