Man accused in Centennial Trail assaults said victims were filming him

The man arrested Sunday in connection with two assaults on the Centennial Trail told police he hit two women with a homemade weapon because he believed they were filming him masturbating in the bushes.

Jonathan Beggs, 44, faces two second-degree assault charges for allegedly hitting women with a rock tied to a tube. According to court documents, one of the victims said a man ran up to her yelling, “Were you filming me last night?” before hitting her in the back multiple times with the rock.

Police arrested Beggs later Sunday after receiving a call about a disorderly man at the YMCA who was yelling at people and making threats. Beggs said he wanted to “bury” all the people who were walking by judging him, according to court documents.

After his arrest, Beggs allegedly told officers without prompting that he was involved in the incident on the Centennial Trail earlier in the day. He said he was masturbating in the bushes when three women began filming him and was concerned they were going to make pornography and send it to all their friends, court documents say.

Police ordered a mental health evaluation for Beggs. He will appear in court Monday afternoon.