Sexual Offender Turns Himself In

After the picture of a four state sexual assault suspect is aired on local media,the suspect surrenders to police. Over the last few weeks, several woman have reported being groped at local businesses. Today, the suspect was charged with the crimes. The Joplin Police have charged 23-year-old Jamie Hartness of Miami Oklahoma with five counts of sexual misconduct. Hartness is accused of fondling five women during the past few weeks at Joplin businesses including 7th street Wal-Mart, 15th street Wal-Mart and Famous Barr in Northpark Mall. "Reports the Joplin Police Department has received where individuals were assaulted by somebody in some of these businesses walking around basically grabbing the rear ends of some females," said Lt. Carl Francis,Joplin Police Department. Police say Hartness turned himself in after this surveillance video was aired on local media. Bond has been set at 25-hundred dollars and Hartness could face a 500 dollar fine for each of the five counts as well as 1 year in jail per count. The first assault reported to the Joplin Police happened on October 15 and the last assault was just last week. Lt. Francis says the investigation has lead them to believe hartness is responsible for several other assaults that have gone unreported. Reported By: Janae Menz