OREGON CITY — A man accused of fondling and kissing women after tricking them into trying on shoes in a string of department-store assaults will be charged today in Clackamas County Circuit Court.
Steven George Bronson, 46, formerly of Beaverton, is set to be arraigned on two charges of third-degree sexual abuse. He is being held in the Clackamas County Jail, with bail set at $15,000.
Authorities said Bronson, who is suspected of pulling foot-fetish scams from the Happy Valley area to Medford, may face additional charges as their investigations unfold.
Detective Jim Strovink, Clackamas County sheriff’s spokesman, said a woman who had seen news reports featuring photos of the suspect called 9-1-1 yesterday afternoon after seeing a man matching the description enter the Willamette Falls Urgent Care Center/ Woman’s Health Center, west of Happy Valley. Deputies surrounded the building, then entered and arrested Bronson around 5:34 p.m. without incident.
Strovink said Bronson does not have a current verifiable address. He said Bronson has a criminal history in Washington, California and Nevada, but did supply details.
Police became aware of the case in mid-July, when a man pulled his con on women at the Clackamas-area Target store at least three times. Each time, he convinced women to try on shoes, supposedly so he could see whether his wife — or girlfriend — would find them comfortable. Then he would begin touching the women’s legs, sometimes rubbing his face on their thighs. When confronted, he said he was only looking for a second opinion.
The man was reported again last week at a Medford store, where he tricked a 15-year-old girl, then began touching her legs. He ran out of the store when she began screaming.
And this past weekend, he was reported once more at a Ross Dress For Less store on Southeast 82nd Avenue and again at the Target on Southeast Sunnyside Road.
In most cases, the stores’ security teams were able to provide photos or surveillance videos, which police distributed to newspapers and television stations.
Strovink said investigators are thankful that security staffs worked closely with police and that the woman who spotted a suspect called 9-1-1.
“Good job,” Strovink said this morning.