Two men assist Cape police in catching assault suspect

Two men assisted Cape Girardeau police with apprehending a suspect accused of assaulting a woman on Cape LaCroix Recreation Trail near the 1300 block of Mount Auburn Road.

According to Sgt. Joey Hann, a woman was jogging on the trail at approximately 4:30 p.m. Friday when 26-year-old James C. Griswell of Oran, Missouri, allegedly ran onto the trail and shoved an unknown substance in her face. The woman screamed for help, and the suspect fled on foot.

A man who was running on the trail nearby heard the woman’s cries for help, saw she had been assaulted and allegedly saw Griswell fleeing from the scene, Hann said. The man pursued Griswell and a second man joined in to assist with the chase.

Griswell allegedly crossed Cape LaCroix Creek and ran into a residential yard in the 700 block of Woodbine Street before being physically detained by the men who chased him until police arrived approximately 2 minutes later.

Griswell was arrested and remains in custody at the Cape Girardeau Jail on a $50,000 bond. Griswell faces charges of third-degree assault, a class E felony.