A Springdale man was arrested Wednesday after police said he grabbed a schoolgirl, tried to drag her to an alley and touched her sexually earlier this week, according to a police news release Thursday. The man may be connected with several other instances involving young girls, police said.
Julian Gamboa Rivera, 20, of 2578 Brookside St. in Springdale, was arrested Wednesday in connection with attempted kidnapping, two counts of sexual assault in the second degree, two counts of sexual indecency with a child and harassment, a misdemeanor.
He was at the Washington County Detention Center with a $100,000 bond Thursday.
On Tuesday, a 13-year-old girl who had been dropped off by the school bus noticed a man following her, according to a police news release Thursday. The man caught up with the girl, grabbed her and put her in a headlock, according to the release. The man then touched the child between her legs on top of her clothing, according to the release. The man also grabbed her hair and tried to pull her into an alleyway between two duplexes, according to the release.
The girl got away and told police she had seen the man before in the area. She also identified Rivera in a photo lineup, according to the release.
Rivera told police he had been in the area where the crime occurred, according to the release. Police also located items at Rivera’s apartment that are consistent with what the girl described, according to the report.
Detectives also were able to connect older reports to Rivera, according to a preliminary police report. The other incidents varied in circumstance but had a similar suspect description, according to the news release. Ages of the children run from 5 years old to 13, according to a preliminary incident report released Thursday.
The older reports that involved children were at Water Street, Applegate Apartments, Kasey Avenue and Onyx Street, according to the news release.
The case is ongoing, according to police. More charges could be added. Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 751-4542.