GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A man accused of complimenting women and then groping them was arrested after attempting to run from officers near the Mall of Georgia, police say.
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Gwinnett County police identified the suspect as 25-year-old Jordan Jamaal Vernon. He was taken into custody Jan. 31 at his workplace following a brief chase. Authorities in Oconee County had issued multiple sexual battery warrants for his arrest, prompting officers in Gwinnett to track him down.
According to investigators, Vernon was linked to an incident in December at a Kroger in Sugar Hill, where a woman reported being groped and kissed without her consent while shopping. She initially believed he was being friendly when he complimented her appearance but said he later returned and touched her inappropriately.
“I was just shopping, looking at eggs or something, and then that’s when he came back and did his, you know, touchy-feely,” she said. “He wanted to know if he could get my name. I said no. Then he asked for a picture, and I said no. And then he told me his name and asked if my being married mattered to me. When I said yes, he kissed me on the cheek and kept touching me.”
She described feeling helpless in the moment but later reported the encounter to store management and police.
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Oconee County investigators contacted Gwinnett officers last week, stating Vernon had an address in their jurisdiction. When police arrived at his workplace, identified as a restaurant near the Mall of Georgia, he ran but was quickly apprehended.
Authorities later reviewed security footage from the Sugar Hill incident and confirmed that Vernon matched the suspect from the December case.
“Once we had him, we realized this is the same suspect from an incident in our jurisdiction,” Cpl. Juan Madiedo with Gwinnett police said.
Vernon is now facing multiple sexual battery charges across jurisdictions and remains in custody at the Gwinnett County Detention Center.
Police say Vernon appeared to target older women, with victims aged 60 and up. In July 2024, court records show Vernon pleaded guilty to a nearly identical crime at the Walmart in Suwanee. He approached a 65-year-old woman, told her she looked beautiful then inappropriately kissed her and touched her, according to a June 2022 police report.
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Authorities urge anyone who may have had a similar encounter to come forward.
“We take these cases very seriously,” Madiedo said. “If someone touches you against your will, even kisses you, please document it and file a police report.”
The victim in the December incident said she hopes Vernon’s arrest prevents further assaults.
“My husband and my son said I needed to stop this before he did it to someone else. Apparently, he has and he did,” she said. “I hope he gets help, but I think that he definitely (needs) to go to jail for a while because apparently he doesn’t know that he has an issue.”
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