OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said a man has been charged with felony battery after a woman told deputies he “touched her inappropriately,” according to a Facebook post from OCSO.

Erik Lucas, 50, also has a prior battery conviction in Okaloosa County from September 2022.

Deputies said a woman was running on Okaloosa Island near Princess Beach when Lucas “confronted her and touched her inappropriately.”

Deputies followed a set of footprints and found Lucas hiding in a bush wearing the same clothing described by the victim, according to the post.

The woman told deputies she was exercising on the beach at around 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30 when Lucas asked for a picture. She declined and Lucas then “smacked her on the buttocks and ran away.”