NORMAL - Police said Wednesday they have increased bicycle patrols on Constitution Trail after reports of a man exposing himself to at least five women over a three-week period in June.

All five reports were from the Normal portion of the trail, and Normal police are reiterating longstanding precautions: Carry a cell phone with you and don't use the trail by yourself.

Police say it's not known if the same man is responsible in every incident, and no arrests had been made as of Wednesday.

The most recent incident was June 29, when two women reported separately to police that a white male wearing a hat but no pants exposed himself to them while standing just off the trail near Grandview Drive.

Police believe the same man -- described as 30 to 50 years old, around 200 lbs and between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet tall - is responsible in both those morning incidents, said Assistant Police Chief Kirk Ijams.

A white male described as about the same age but wearing glasses reportedly exposed himself to a woman around 5:30 p.m. June 22 on the trail near Shelbourne Drive, police said.

"There's nothing to indicate that (these three incidents) are connected. There's nothing to say that they're not connected," Ijams said.

Two other women, both from Bloomington, contacted The Pantagraph, saying they also encountered a man on the trail who exposed himself in separate incidents. A formal report was not on file with Normal police Wednesday in those incidents, which they say happened around 5 p.m. June 7 and 11 a.m. June 13.

The two women, who asked to remain unidentified citing safety concerns, said Wednesday they had contacted Normal police in some form right after the incidents but would do so again to make sure a formal report was on file.

Both women gave similar descriptions of the white male they say approached them while they were jogging. He was in his late 40s or early 50s, wearing a T-shirt and blue-jean shorts with the zipper undone and holding a cell phone to his ear.

Both women said the man approached them from the brush on the trail between Linden Street and Grandview Drive, near Colene Hoose Elementary School and a path that runs toward the Vernon Stables apartments.

Both said it was clear the man wasn't just going to the bathroom; one said the man was clearly fully erect.

Police said the areas of the three incidents reported to them were searched, but no suspects were found.

Bloomington police have had no reports of similar incidents on the city's side of the trail, police spokesman Duane Moss said Wednesday morning.

Safety tips while on the trail

None of the women reported being physically accosted, but the two who spoke to The Pantagraph said the incidents frightened them.

One said she ordered some pepper spray as soon as she got home and now carries her cell phone whenever she jogs - which won't ever be on the Constitution Trail again.

"Initially, I was like, 'What? This isn't what I think it is, is it?' But it was," the woman said. "I was scared, and I didn't think I would be."

Ijams said people should carry a cell phone and call police if someone is seen exposing himself - and try to keep that suspect in sight until police arrive if they feel safe enough.

He said exhibitionists generally do not escalate their actions to cause physical harm to another person, even though that is a possibility and a concern for police.

"Typically, exhibitionist people are just that," he said.

People who encounter the man should call Normal police at (309) 454-9535.