HOUSTON – A man has been arrested and charged with an attempt to commit aggravated kidnapping in connection with the attempted abduction of a 12-year-old girl at Memorial Park on Feb. 24, 2021. He appeared in court Monday.
The victim was walking at the park when she noticed a man who she did not know and had not seen before seemed to be following her, according to court records.
According to court documents, the girl had been in the park visiting her hamster’s grave and was walking around a pond at the Clay Family Easter Glades when she first noticed the man -- identified as 43-year-old Lewis Hernandez -- sitting in the grass by the pond.
Court documents revealed that the victim walked down a grassy path to her hamster’s grave when Hernandez used both hands to grab her waist from behind and pushed her to the ground, face first. The victim screamed while Hernandez held her down, according to court documents. Once he released her, the victim went back home, where she reported the attempted abduction to her mother, who reported it to the police, according to court documents.
The attempted kidnapping was caught on video by a Public Safety Video Camera. In the video, authorities said Hernandez comes into view and can be seen hiding behind a light pole as the victim approaches, according to court records.
“He comes from behind the pole and then walks northbound past (the victim) on the grassy pathway,” court records say. “She walks to his left into a grassy area where she looked for the hamster’s grave. She returns back to the pathway and Defendant Hernandez is seen coming from the opposite side of the light pole and following (the victim).”
At that point, the video shows Hernandez sitting on top of the screaming victim for about five seconds before he released her and ran into the woods, according to court documents.
Court documents revealed Hernandez has a history of similar crimes and usually “targets young girls at the library and in the neighborhood.” Authorities said that based on their investigation and other tips, Hernandez typically picks 12-year-old girls with small frames.
Hernandez appeared in court Friday where a judge said he is not to be within 1,000 feet of a premise where children commonly gather, including schools, daycares, playgrounds, youth centers, swimming pools or video arcade facilities. Hernandez is also not permitted to have any firearms. His bond was raised to $200,000. He still remains in jail.