PORTLAND, Ore. — The man accused of jumping out of the bushes and attacking a jogger along the Springwater Trail in Northeast Portland is in jail, indicted on multiple charges.
Portland police are now circulating 33-year-old Anthony Hill’s photo to determine if there are other victims.
The attack happened during a woman’s morning jog on Sept. 4. Police said she was jogging along the Springwater Corridor near Southeast Johnson Creek Boulevard and Southeast Brookside Drive.
Detectives say Hill passed her on his bike and then veered into some bushes up ahead of her. They say he jumped out, while fondling himself, and tried to grab the woman.
She was able to get away and connect with her husband who was in the area, but police say she was clearly shaken.
“This woman indicated she felt she was going to be raped,” said Mike Benner, Portland Police Bureau spokesperson. “That’s why she got out of there as fast as she could.”
Springwater Trail is a popular running and bicycle path that runs along the Willamette River. People out enjoying the path Tuesday were surprised to hear the jogger was attacked in the late morning hours.
“It does seem like a safe time,” said Bonnie Waters, a bicyclist who says she avoids riding alone. “I think a lot of people do jog alone.”
Another female bicyclist, Rachel Starbuck, said she hasn’t biked the trail alone, either.
“Honestly, even in the daytime, I don’t think I would,” Starbuck said.
“I feel like it’s an iffy thing," she added. "I probably wouldn’t jog. I might bike.”
Benner said people need to avoid wearing earphones and stay aware of your surroundings.
“I think it comes down to situational awareness,” Benner said. “Have your head on a swivel and always look around if you’re a man or a woman.”
“I do run with my head on a swivel,” said Russell Chebahtah, as he took a break from his run along the corridor, "especially down by the bridges where there tend to be people camping.”
As for Hill, a Multnomah County grand jury indicted him last week on one count of first-degree attempted sexual abuse and public indecency. Currently, he is being held at the Multnomah County jail.
Court records show Hill faced indecency charges in 2020 and 2021 and pleaded guilty in those cases.