William Martin IV mug shot

William Martini IV, 31, of Dutchess County appears in a mugshot provided by New York State Police.

(Police mug shot)

State police have arrested an Upstate New York man suspected of serial butt-slapping.

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports William Martini IV was charged this week with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class C felony and two counts of forcible touching, a class A misdemeanor.

New York State Police said William Martini IV was operating the pictured 2010 black Chevrolet Z71 Pick-up truck.

According to state police, a 17-year-old woman told authorities she was jogging in LaGrange when a black Chevrolet pickup truck stopped, and a man got out to start running behind her. He allegedly grabbed her buttocks before getting back in the vehicle and driving away.

She said she attempted to get his license plate number, but it was covered in duct tape.

Mid Hudson Valley News reports a New York State trooper on patrol happened upon a black pickup truck in Pleasant Valley the next day, suspecting the driver was bothering an elderly woman. She told the trooper that the man had slapped her buttocks.

The man, later identified as Martini, was caught after attempting to flee. The 31-year-old Dutchess County resident was found to be in unlawful possession of a loaded .357 revolver handgun and arrested.

Poughkeepsie Police and the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office are investigating similar incidents of alleged butt-slapping in the area. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call the New York State Police Troop K Bureau of Criminal Investigations at (845) 677-7300.

According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, Martini, who was driving a 2010 black Chevrolet Z71 Pick-up truck, was remanded to the Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. He's scheduled to appear in the Town of Pleasant Valley court Thursday and the Town of LaGrange Court on May 3.