Woman sexually assaulted on Fredericksburg trail in third case since October
by Brad Matthews · The Washington TimesThe Fredericksburg Police Department is looking for a man accused of assaulting a woman on a trail before exposing himself to her, the third such incident on the trail since last October.
The victim told police that at around 9:30 p.m. Friday, the suspect “ran up behind her, grabbed her, assaulted her, and exposed himself” before running away, the police said in a Facebook post Monday. They did not mention any injuries to the victim.
The victim told police that prior to the incident, she had left the Fredericksburg Shopping Center and walked along U.S. Route 1 to get to the Canal Path trail.
The suspect is described as a roughly 6-foot-tall Hispanic man with dark hair that reaches his eyes, wearing a black hoodie and blue pants, police said. Anyone with information is asked to text “FPDtip” and their message to 847-411.
Police are investigating to see if there is any link between the incident and an assault that took place on the Canal Path trail on Oct. 19, 2025.
The suspect in the October case was described at the time by police as a man standing 5-foot-4 or 5-foot-5 inches tall with a medium build, possibly of Hispanic, Indian or Middle Eastern background, wearing dark clothing and speaking with a noticeable accent.
A different suspect, Hien Dinh, 23, is accused of a series of sexual assaults on the Canal Path trail and the Heritage Trail in March. He faces three counts of felony sexual battery and has been in police custody since late March, the Fredericksburg Police Department said.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.