SAUGUS, MASS. (WHDH) - A woman, out walking with her daughter, says she was attacked while on a trail in Saugus over the weekend.
Jennifer Davis says the man sat next to her and her daughter while on Northern Strand Community Trail.
She said she was inappropriately touched and then hit.
“Hand went in my shirt, hand went up my shorts. He swung at me. I threw his stuff,” she said.
She threw his alcohol in a nearby creek, and then he attacked her.
“I had to hit him at least five times. He just kept coming at me. He drenched me in liquor. He was throwing liquor all over us,” she said.
She said her daughter ran to call police and he tried to steal her purse.
She said the man was arrested and she’s never seen him before.
Monday, Saugus police say Thomas Gillespie, 51, of Saugus was arrested and charged with one count of indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 and over and that he was arrested after police were dispatched to the area of Jasper and Central streets about 6 p.m. Saturday.
“I walk that trail at least twice a day. It’s where I go to get a peace of mind,” she said.
Davis has a warning for others who frequent that trail.
“If you’re going to be a female and you’re going to walk the trail, don’t go alone,” she said.
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