Police say man wanted in connection with four sexual assaults turned himself in

Jacksonville Police say a man wanted in connection with four sexual assaults has turned himself in.

“We do not know at this time if it’s gunna be the same suspect or not, but there are some similarities in these cases,” says JSO Assistant Chief Chris Butler.

There have been four incidents in a five block radius of downtown since early February.  Only today did police start to potentially link the cases and ID a suspect in the first attack.

Police were actively searching for Jerry Gallion on charges of kidnapping and attempted sexual assault.  They say Gallion spent several hours with a woman on February 8^th at 400 E Union Street before pulling her in to the bushes and attempting to assault her.  She was able to escape the attack, and police say she has identified Gallion, and there is physical evidence as well.

There are three other attacks that police say may be linked because of their similar victimology and geography.

On February 24, police say a woman was sleeping near the sidewalk on 600 Market Street when she was approached.  He beat her and tried to sexually assault her, but she fought back and the attacker eventually ran away.

On April 6, a woman was sleeping on the sidewalk at 31 E Monroe Street when he approached and talked to her.

“When she told him to leave her alone, he actually forced her to another location where he actually sexually assaulted her,” Butler says.

The fourth incident was Friday morning, at 530 N Washington St.  The suspect was sitting on a wall when the victim walked by.

“He came up behind her, knocked her down and dragged her to another location where he actually sexually assaulted her,” Butler says.

The victims so far have been white females between 39-68 years old.  They have been homeless or transient.