Police arrest Columbia Heights man suspected of groping girl

The Anoka County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Columbia Heights man suspected of groping a young girl at a Fridley Walmart.

The man, who has not yet been charged, was arrested Friday and is being booked into Anoka County Jail for second-degree criminal sexual conduct. The alleged assault was captured on Walmart's security cameras inside the store at 8450 University Ave NE on Dec. 26.

The girl, who is under the age of 13, was with her mother and an older sibling when she was groped by a stranger, law enforcement officials said. The girl immediately told her mother, and store employees called police. Walmart security provided the footage to law enforcement officials who then released images of the suspect and asked for the public's help.

"After the widespread media attention the case received there were multiple calls from the public identifying possible suspects," the Anoka County Sheriff's Office said in a statement released Friday afternoon.

The statement said the man has a criminal history that includes indecent exposure and "similar groping incidents involving adult females."

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