Man said he worked for homeless shelter, then groped woman he offered to help, cops say

A woman says a man claiming to work for the New Direction’s men’s shelter groped her as he gave her a ride, according to a police report.

New Directions Executive Director Kathy Jenkins said she didn’t know the suspect, whose name is listed only as “Neek” in a Myrtle Beach police report.

Police Lt. Bryan Murphy said they haven’t had any similar reports.

The woman reported the incident to police around 11 a.m. Thursday. She said she took a ride Thursday morning from a man named from “Neek,” who told her he worked as a community service provider for the men’s shelter, according to the report.

The suspect picked up the woman at 21st Avenue North and Oak Street. When she got in the car, “Neek” started to grope her, the report states.

Police say the suspect tried to take the woman on a detour instead of directly to her doctor’s appointment. The woman tried several times to get the driver to stop and he eventually dropped her off outside a fitness center.

There, the victim told several people what happened and they called the police, the report states.

In the report, the suspect is described as a white man, 55 to 60 years old with white hair. He was driving green or gold Kia Sorento.