BELFAST — Belfast Police are searching for a man after two young boys were reportedly sexually propositioned in Belfast City Park around 1 p.m. March 28, according to Sgt.John Gibbs.

The boys, aged seven and 12, were playing in the baseball dugout of the park, which remains closed for the winter season, when approached by the man, who told them they should be wearing boots in the snow, police said.

The man then reportedly propositioned the boys. Both boys walked toward the basketball court to get away from the man, who continued to follow them. They eventually ran to another adult man who was walking in the park and told him that the other man was following them and asking about a sex act.

When the man the boys ran to called law enforcement he reported that the boys told him a suspicious man had approached them asking for directions to the Post Office. The man reportedly confronted the man who had been following the boys and asked if there was an issue and if he needed directions. The witness told Gibbs that the man hadn’t made eye contact with him during the conversation and left the area soon after.

It was later learned that the complainant requires hearing aids, which he was not wearing at the time, and failed to correctly hear the boys. A second witness, who overheard what the boys told the good samaritan, verified later with Gibbs that the boys had mentioned the specific proposition and not the Post Office.

It was after calling the initial complainant back that police learned of his hearing difficulties.

After talking with the second witness March 30, the woman said she thought the second man, who alerted authorities, was handling the situation and left the area. She also confirmed what she overheard the boys tell the complainant about the interaction with the man, including the sexual act they reported him asking about.

The suspect fled the area prior to law enforcement’s arrival, likely leaving via a wooded area between the park and Waldo County General Hospital, police said. Surveillance videos from Waldo County General Hospital have been reviewed and did not record anyone leaving the park through the parking lot, police said.

While responding to the scene initially, Gibbs was flagged down by a female motorist parked beside the Belfast City Park gates, identified as the mother of the older boy. Gibbs was able to speak with both boys, who had run to the older boy’s home after the incident. The boys recounted the incident, which is where Gibbs first heard that directions to the Post Office was not what the older man was after.

Gibbs said he was initially unsure of whether the boys altered the story at all following police involvement, but that concern was assuaged when the second witness reported hearing the boys say the same thing at the scene.

Gibbs said the boys did the right thing by running and asking another adult for help. He is asking all parents to talk to their children about the incident and remind them what they should do if they are ever approached by an adult in a threatening manner.

The man has been described as tall, slender and with a slender face, white hair kept in a ponytail and aged roughly from late 60s to 70s. He was wearing an odd hat described by some as a fur-less bomber hat, and others as a deerhunter hat, like the one worn by fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. 

Belfast Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for anyone matching the description and that they call and report any suspicious persons or behavior to law enforcement as soon as possible.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com