Children to Be Shown Photos of 160 Molester Case Suspects

Los Angeles police Friday began showing alleged victims of the Valley molester photographs of 160 suspects in the case, in an attempt to determine the identity of the man or men who molested or tried to grope at least 32 children.

After more than three months of expanding their inquiry and interviewing several hundred suspects, police have winnowed their list to the 160, ranked in a descending order of suspicion, said Deputy Police Chief Martin H. Pomeroy, who commands all San Fernando Valley police divisions. Investigators want to zero in on prime suspects, he said.

“We hope to have a positive identification from a number of victims,” he said.

Pomeroy and the four detectives working the case--down from 23 after a rash of more than a dozen attacks in November and December--also said that showing the photos to the victims may help police determine if one man is responsible for all the incidents.

Police confirmed Friday what they had only hinted at before: As many as six assaults may have been the work of a copycat, with a different modus operandi and getaway car.

Authorities also said most of the 160 suspects have either been charged with or suspected of sex crimes, particularly those at the top of the list.

Detectives compiled the collection of 160 photographs from booking mug shots, driver’s license photos and images voluntarily turned over by suspects.

Even if a copycat is responsible for several assaults, police believe most incidents are the work of one African American male. The victims described him as 35 to 45 years old, about 6 feet tall, weighing from 185 to 210 pounds, with close-cropped hair and perhaps a few days’ growth of beard.

“We are pretty confident he is among the 160,” Detective Craig Rhudy said.

Investigators cautioned that even if several victims identify someone, they will need more than that to charge or convict him because many of the victims are children who did not get a clear look at their assailant.

Police resorted to displaying the photographs because they did not have “any real solid direction to go in,” said Rhudy, who heads a task force set up three months ago to find the molester--who police say raped a 9-year-old girl in November and has groped or attempted to grope young girls and a few boys near schools across the Valley.

Police reiterated Friday that as school routines get back to normal after the earthquake, parents should remain vigilant by walking their children to school or sending them in groups.

Even if the molester has halted activities because he has been interviewed by police--as some authorities suspect--there are other sexual predators to worry about, Rhudy said. He said another man is suspected of at least two attempts to get children into his car in recent months.

“If a guy is interested in young children, that is a common method, getting them on their way to school,” Rhudy said.

Police said they believe a copycat may be at work in the Valley molester case because six of the more recent cases involved an African American driving a burgundy sedan who sometimes struck in the afternoon. In the earlier cases, the suspect struck in the mornings and drove a pickup.

In December, police said they considered all the cases the work of one man. But on Friday, Rhudy said: “We think there is a possibility there are two. The M.O. changed, and so did the vehicle used.”