Man confesses on television to being `Spokane Spanker'

SPOKANE, Wash. — A man who claims to have slapped the backsides of dozens of women along a popular hiking trail that runs through Spokane has read a tearful confession on live television.

Numerous women contacted law enforcement officers in recent days to report that a man approached them on the Centennial Trail, slapped them on the backside and then fled.

The Spokesman-Review says 28-year-old Jonathan Smith went to the offices of KHQ on Wednesday, identified himself as the spanker and apologized to victims.

During the roughly five-minute long confession, Smith said he was trying to be "daring and mischievous, but not malicious."

Police say they are investigating and know where to find Smith.