Man who confessed to slapping women’s backsides appears in court

Spokane police on Friday detailed their investigation into a man suspected of smacking numerous women on their backsides as they walked and jogged on the Centennial Trail and in downtown Spokane.

The suspect, Jonathan Lee Smith, 28, made his first court appearance Friday.

The police investigation pointed to Smith before he walked into the KHQ-TV offices downtown and confessed on live television Wednesday.

The Downtown Security Ambassadors first became aware of the backside slappings on April 14, said police spokesman Officer Shane Phillips. The next day, a security ambassador was in the downtown skywalks when he spotted the man he thought was a suspect and took a picture. A witness identified the man in the picture as the suspect, Phillips said. The picture was forwarded to police. That same day, a victim reported a similar crime on the Gonzaga University campus.

A pair of police officers spotted Smith downtown on April 16 and spoke to him. At that point, they did not have enough information to make an arrest, Phillips said.

After days of witness interviews, police requested 11 counts of misdemeanor assault with a sexual motivation against Smith. He was located and arrested Thursday evening.

Smith’s bond was set at $11,000.