Prosecutors Seek Victims Of National Park Sexual Assault Suspect

LOS ANGELES, CA — The National Park Service is urging potential sexual assault victims to come forward following the arrest of a man accused of sexually assaulting another man in Yosemite National Park last year. Leading up to the alleged assault, the accused man had spent years in the Southland, according to the National Park Service.

Charles Porter, 30, was charged in the April 20 sexual assault of a man in Yosemite. Prosecutors suspect he may have attacked others, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.

"Based upon new information obtained in the course of this case, investigators believe there may be more victims of assaults or sexual assaults by the defendant," the NPS said. "The defendant's whereabouts in recent years include Southern California, at the California Polytechnic University Pomona, the Yosemite National Park area and the Pacific Crest Trail."

Because of Porter's travels, authorities are looking for potential victims from across Southern California and up the Pacific Crest Trail.

Anyone with information on the case or who believes they are a victim should contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch by calling or texting ISB Tip Line at 888-653-0009. TIpsters may also go to the branch's website and click "Submit a Tip," and email tips may be sent.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.