Share and Follow
A disturbing incident has unfolded on one of Southern California’s well-trodden hiking paths, where an elderly man is accused of inappropriately touching a woman. Authorities suspect there could be more victims and are actively seeking additional information.
The Riverside Police Department announced via social media that 77-year-old Toai Pham has been charged with sexual battery following his arrest. After being detained at the Robert Presley Detention Center, Pham was released on a $5,000 bail.
The incident occurred on the morning of March 9, when a female hiker reported being approached and inappropriately touched by Pham while on the Mount Rubidoux trail in Riverside. Fortunately, the woman was unharmed and promptly alerted the police, as detailed in a report by the Press Enterprise.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities discovered that Pham is a frequent visitor to the area, often hiking there in the early hours. This pattern of behavior has led police to believe there could be other victims who have not yet reported similar encounters. “Detectives believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward,” stated the Riverside police in their social media update.
During the investigation, cops discovered that Pham routinely hikes around the area in the morning hours and now police suspect Pham has done this before. “Detectives believe there may be additional victims who have not yet come forward,” Riverside police said in the post.
“If you have seen Toai Pham, or someone with a similar description approaching women around the area of Mt. Rubidoux, we encourage you to come forward.”
Commenters on the Riverside PD Facebook post noted that others have reportedly had similar experiences with Pham.
“People have been mentioning their encounters publicly on the Next Door app for a while,” one person wrote.
“It hasn’t happened to me. But I did read warnings there. Might be good to post this there as well and do a search there.”
“This needs to be posted to Mr Rubidoux as there have been multiple people advising specially women to be careful around Mr Pham as he has touched them inappropriately and without consent. I’ve seen like 5 different posts about it,” another person added.
While a third wrote, “I’m glad that this was reported and that he was taken into custody to vet the claims. If he is guilty, he needs to be held accountable…”
The Post reached out to the Riverside PD for further comment.