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Grand Haven man in custody after encounters with young girls

The 43-year-old suspect is accused of grabbing onto two young girls inside Grand Haven businesses this weekend.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — A 43-year-old Grand Haven man is in custody after authorities said he grabbed a small child's arm while inside a store this weekend, and may have had physical contact with others. 

Sunday afternoon, the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office took a report of a man who approached an 8-year-old girl inside a business and took hold of her arm. 

The suspect is described as a 43-year-old white man. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and surgical mask at the time of the incidents. 

The man left the store when the child's mother pulled her away from him. 

During the investigation, police determined the suspect may have had contact with a second young girl as he was leaving the store. 

At this point, the second girl's family has not been identified, and the sheriff's office is asking them to call police. 

After the man left the first business, detectives have reason to believe he may have had contact with other children.

The sheriff's office received another report of a man matching the suspect's description making physical contact with a 7-year-old girl inside another Grand Haven business. 

Hours after those incidents, police patrolling in the area spotted a person matching the suspect's description. Authorities determined he was the same man involved in the earlier incident.

The suspect remains in the Ottawa County Jail as investigators continue to learn more about the incidents. 

“We’re out there but we do need the public’s help with that situational awareness and paying attention to your surroundings if you see something that doesn’t fit,” said Capt. Jake Sparks with the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. “In this situation, the subject didn’t fit, he had a heavy sweatshirt on and heavy sweatpants when it was 85 degrees yesterday.”

The suspect's name is being withheld pending formal charges. 

Anyone with information or who may have been approached is asked to call the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office or contact Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT (745368) or by following the link here.

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