Tampa man arrested after groping woman in University Mall restroom

A 28-year-old Tampa man is in custody after police say he groped a woman inside a University Mall restroom.

Christopher Anderson was arrested on Oct. 20, shortly after 6 p.m., when Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of a sex offense at the mall in University, Florida.

Investigators say Anderson put his hand down the victim's pants and touched her genitals. Mall surveillance footage shows the victim attempting to hide in the women's restroom. The video also captures Anderson repeatedly entering the restroom and approaching the area where the victim was located, according to deputies.

Inside the restroom, Anderson is accused of placing his hands under the victim's shirt and grabbing her inappropriately. Officers identified Anderson as a registered sex offender who was actively serving probation when the incident occurred. His arrest triggered multiple compliance violations related to his supervisory terms and online registry requirements.

Deputies found a pocketknife on Anderson at the time of his arrest. He now faces charges for felon carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon during a felony, battery, resisting an officer without violence, failure to register email addresses, and six counts of violating sex offender probation.