A man who matches the description of a convicted sex offender was seen at the Imperial Beach and Southwest Little League fields last week, league officials said in a warning to team managers.
The suspect is a 5-foot-9 Hispanic man with brown eyes, brown hair and weighing near 300 pounds, according to an email sent by IBLL secretary Elizabeth McKay.
League President Don Spicer said he saw a man wearing a dark jacket and blue baseball hat in front of the bathroom between 5:30 and 6 p.m. March 13, according to the email.
After Spicer turned to speak with someone, the man was gone. At least 30 team managers were informed March 15.
“We told everybody to keep their eyes open and be vigilant about who's around the kids,” Spicer said by phone Thursday.
On March 14, also around 6 p.m., a man fitting the same description was spotted slowly driving a gold Nissan or Toyota at Southwest Little League fields off Hollister Street, McKay wrote in an email with the subject line “Predator Incident.”
“[A Little League board member] then observed him park his car and was sitting in his car staring at players,” she continued. “She approached him, as they were getting ready to close up their fields and asked if she could help him.”
The man said he was a photographer and asked for the league schedule, McKay said.
"She said he then became very nervous, at which time she reached into her purse to take out her phone in order to take a photograph of the car, and he quickly drove away.”
The sheriff's department told IBLL officials if a person who fits this description is spotted at the Sports Park and Recreation Center or other places where children congregate, to call the sheriff's non-emergency number at 858-565-5200.
To view a list and map of registered sex offenders in the area, visit the Megan's Law website.
Both little leagues said they have received no reports of sightings of the man since last week.
The IB incident was reported to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the Southwest incident to the San Diego Police Department.
No sightings have been reported to the IB station since last week.
