Man accused of groping teenage girl in North Fort Myers

A man was arrested after allegedly groping a teenage girl while she took out the trash in North Fort Myers. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, on May 20, deputies responded to a sex crime in the area of ​​3000 Marinatown Lane. The victim told police she was taking out the trash when a man on a blue bike grabbed her buttocks before fleeing the scene. RELATED COVERAGE: Man accused of groping 72-year-old woman walking in Cape Coral neighborhood. Brian Dear, 30, was identified as a suspect. Later that day, management at the Riverview Inn told police that a man matching Dear's description had checked into the hotel at 13020 N Cleveland Avenue on May 19. Deputies located Dear in his hotel room and arrested him. The victim later identified him as the man who touched her inappropriately. A blue bicycle, shoes and a hat were found in a nearby dumpster behind the KFC on N Cleveland Avenue. All three items matched what Dear was wearing during the crime, LCSO said. Officers searched Dear's hotel room and found a blue shoe and the exact same green backpack the suspect was carrying. Dear faces a charge of lewd and lascivious behavior. He was taken to the Lee County Jail but has since been released. Last month, a woman over 65 told deputies she was groped by a man while she was walking her dog in a parking lot along N Key Drive in North Fort Myers. The suspect wore similar clothing to Dear and rode the same style of bicycle. Detectives began investigating whether Dear was connected to both crimes. However, the victim in the May 15 case was unable to identify Dear as the suspect during a photo op. The case is still ongoing. On May 31, Dear pleaded not guilty. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for June 24.