OC Man Accused Of Serial Groping In Tustin

TUSTIN (CBSLA.com) — An Anaheim man faced sexual battery charges Thursday for allegedly groping several female victims in the city of Tustin, police said.

Gary Derusha was arrested on Tuesday after receiving multiple reports in which a suspect approached either a lone female or females in tandem from behind, according to the Tustin Police Department.

The suspect allegedly either groped the victim's buttocks or pulled the victim's pants down, in concert with the groping. In each case, the suspect immediately fled after the initial contact, police said.

After detectives set up a mobile surveillance operation in the targeted areas, they noticed a "suspicious subject" who matched the description of the wanted suspect.

Derusha was stopped by detectives and was positively identified by several of the previous victims, police said.

Derusha was found to be currently on probation for a prior sex-related violation. He was arrested for multiple counts of sexual battery and was booked into Orange County Jail.

Anyone with information related to this suspect or anyone who has not yet reported being a victim of this suspect was urged to contact Detective Natalie Nguyen at 714-573-3253.