A 27-year-old South Yarmouth man is facing several criminal charges after police say he attempted to sexually assault a 5-year-old child while at a soccer game at Peter Homer Park on Tuesday.
During the game, police say Ryan Evans lured the child behind the park’s restrooms, which is where the attempted assault took place. The child’s screams “managed to scare off” Evans who fled the area, according to police.
Multiple police officers arrived to the park shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday and began looking for the suspect, later identified as Evans, who was seen leaving on an electric bike, Yarmouth Police said in a statement posted to Facebook. Yarmouth firefighters went to the scene to assess the child for injuries.
Police undertook an “extensive search” for the man and officers checked neighborhoods, parks, businesses and a nearby bicycle path. Tips from social media began to roll in as the search effort ramped up.
Following the incident, police deployed plain clothes officers, bike patrols and “additional resources” in an attempt to find the suspect and to “provide a higher level of safety and security,” according to the statement.
On Wednesday night just before 7 p.m., Yarmouth police stopped a vehicle and found Evans, taking him into custody. Evans is charged with assault to rape a child, kidnapping of a child, and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, according to police.
Police are “familiar” with Evans and “had dealings with him in the past,” police said in their Facebook post. In 2021, he was charged with unarmed burglary and assault, assault to rape a child, assault and battery and destruction of property and larceny.
