SAGINAW, MI — When three women told the Saginaw Police Department they were assaulted by a man in Old Town, on the city's West Side, authorities called in police sketch artists for help.

The two forensic artists developed drawings of the man wanted based on the women's descriptions. One of the drawings was then released to the public.

Though the sketch didn't lead directly to the arrest of a man in connection with the cases, police did receive several tips based on the picture, Saginaw Police Department Detective Sgt. Reggie Williams said.

In an age of digital media, they may seem old-fashioned, but sketches can pay off at times and still have their place in fighting crime, according to Wade Dakin, coordinator of the Michigan State Police's Forensic Artist Unit.

"It gets us another avenue to hopefully catch the individuals who committed the crime," Dakin said. more