Saturday, May 10, 2008

Man grabs one girl, trails another teen in attempted kidnappings

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

El Cerro Mission Two young El Cerro Mission girls — one of whom was grabbed and assaulted — have been approached in separate incidents by a man who police suspect was attempting to kidnap them.

A black pick-up truck was seen at the site of both incidents, but a license number taken from it was registered to a car.

One of the girls, an 11-year-old, told deputies on Thursday, that she was in the backyard of her home on Palacio Court in El Cerro Mission when a man suddenly appeared. The girl, who had just returned home from school and had gone outside to water the family's garden, said when she went to pick up the hose, a man grabbed her right arm.

"(The girl) said she turned to look at the man when he pulled her shirt off her body," the police report says. "(She) said the man then heard her mother's truck entering the front yard."

According to the police report, the girl said that's when the man asked what the noise was and then ran. The girl told deputies that the man jumped over a fence, fell and dropped her shirt. He got back up and ran south to another fence and toward El Cerro Mission Road.

"(The girl) then ran to the front of the yard where she found her mother," the report says.

The man was described as a Hispanic male, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 210 pounds, and having mid-length hair with no facial hair. He was wearing a tan shirt with black dress pants.

Valencia County Sheriff's Deputy Ed Chavez said the girl was not hurt during the incident, but was very upset about what had happened. He said that deputies spoke with neighbors about the incident, but no one reported seeing anything. They also searched the area, but were not able to find anyone.

Chavez said that the deputies who responded to the call suspect that the man was already in the yard, possibly hiding behind an above-the-ground swimming pool, when the girl walked into the yard.

While deputies were at the girl's home investigating the incident, they met with James Cook, the El Cerro-Valencia fire chief, who had heard the dispatch call and responded to the scene. He told deputies that because he had heard of a similar incident about a week earlier, he went to try and help.

"He proceeded to the area and saw a male getting into a black Toyota pickup ..." the report said. Cook was able to get the license number of the vehicle before going to the girl's house.

The report said that, noting the description of the man and the vehicle was similar to that given in the other incident, Cook contacted dispatch with the information. After talking with the girl, he noted the only difference in the description was the man in the first incident reportedly had a moustache.

According to a police report taken on Wednesday, April 30, deputies were called to the home of a 14-year-old girl who said she was approached by a man about a week before while walking home from her bus stop. Chavez said this incident took place about a mile from where the 11-year-old girl had been assaulted.

The teenager told police that a man, described as a Hispanic male in his 30s with long, black, combed-back hair, had pulled up next to her in a black Toyota pickup truck. She reported that the man had asked for her name.

"(She) told him it was none of his business," the report said.

He then asked the girl how old she was. Again, the girl told him that it was none of his business.

She took a cell phone out, and even though the phone was inactive, she acted as though she had dialed three digits and put it up to her ear, the report said. She told the deputy that is when the man sped off.

"(The girl) said that the truck is there every day about the time that the buses run," the report says. "I told (the girl and her mother) that I would try to be there in the mornings to see if I could make contact with the truck and identify the male."

Chavez said when deputies checked on the license plate, it came back as registered to a 1979 Volkswagen van in Algodones. He said both cases are still under investigation and being treated as attempted kidnappings. Deputies are continuing their search for the suspect and the black Toyota pickup truck.

Anyone with information about these cases or the suspect is asked to call the Valencia County Sheriff's Office at 866-2400.

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