The summer of 1978 saw five female newspaper carriers sexually assaulted around St. Paul, Minnesota. The media dubbed the assailant the Strawberry Blonde based on his composite sketch, though KSTP-TV news tapes also used the term Mad Molester. After a sixth victim - the first not to have been a carrier - was attacked while waiting for a bus on July 19, a $1000 reward was offered for information despite police concern over reckless bounty hunters.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press & Dispatch newspaper, for which the carriers worked, was then accused of not treating the whole story properly. Their circulation department was claimed to have not provided their own news department with pertinent information out of fear that their carriers would quit - indeed, fourteen had left the job by the time a 13-year old managed to escape the criminal on July 22. One victim later sued the paper for this gross negligence, which was settled out of court.
On August 11, three unnamed teenagers living in the city's Lexington-Hamline area were reported to have formed what they called the B5 Junior Detectives. Named after their police precinct, the trio would stake out suspects and make sketches they could then compare to that of the police. While their parents had some initial worries, one of their mothers was a newspaper carrier herself and welcomed the initiative. And despite the possible monetary reward, the group said they had formed before they even knew about it.
Despite the B5 being optimistic over a lead on their prime suspect in the news report, I can find no evidence that the assailant was ever apprehended.
The KSTP-TV news report on the Junior Detectives can be watched HERE.
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