Man suspected of gropings at BYU linked to Provo incident, police confirm

Police have identified a sixth woman believed to be a victim of a BYU senior accused of inappropriately touching women by pretending to fall into them.

Jacob “Jack” Scott Hansen, 26, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Monday for investigation of sexual battery. He is accused of inappropriately grabbing five women on their buttocks and also reaching around one woman’s abdomen and tickling her on the campus of Brigham Young University over the weekend.

At the time of his arrest, Provo police confirmed they were also investigating a similar incident with a possible sixth victim off campus. On Tuesday, an additional investigative count of sexual battery was added to Hansen’s jail booking record to account for that victim.

According to a police affidavit, that woman was assaulted on Sunday about 2 p.m., which is shortly before the time a woman walking near the Life Sciences Building on BYU’s campus reported she was grabbed.

The sixth woman told police she was walking on 500 East near 600 North in Provo when Hansen “got behind the victim and began to follow her on her walk at a close enough proximity that it made the victim very uncomfortable. The victim tried to allow Hansen to pass her by moving out of the way at which point he mimicked her and stepped back behind her again,” the affidavit states.

Moments later, Hansen “grabbed the victim around the abdomen with both of his arms and then released her,” according to the affidavit.

The woman said that Hansen also grazed the front of her body before saying he was sorry and continued walking at a brisk pace, the affidavit states.

“The victim described the encounter as something that made her feel violated,” according to the affidavit.

As of Tuesday, formal charges had not been filed.