A Texas man has been arrested and charged with recording a sexual assault exchange between two young children at a popular shopping mall, with at least six other men suspected to be involved, the FBI said, according to Fox Houston. The document revealed.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has charged Arthur Hector Fernandez III, 29, with child sexual exploitation after the Australian Center for Combating Child Exploitation (ACCE) discovered footage of the alleged incident on the dark web. (Fox Houston) report. (Related article: Former elementary school teacher sentenced to suspended sentence after being accused of sexually assaulting a 4th grade student)
According to FBI documents, the incident involved four videos of two young children, each between 2 and 3 years old, being sexually assaulted by multiple men in different settings. According to the documents, a video description states that Fernandez allegedly recorded another man allegedly assaulting one of the infants in what appeared to be a changing table in a public restroom.Fox・Reported by Houston.
Toddler sexually assaults former Galleria employee in restroom: FBI https://t.co/4N9FpGhKsd
— FOX26 Houston (@FOX26 Houston) January 11, 2024
The FBI was able to identify Fernandez through relatives of the two young children and focused on the clothing the children were wearing at the time of the incident, the documents said. Relatives of the toddlers also said they recognized the silver bracelet Fernandez was wearing in the video, supporting their claims, the document said. Ta.
After confirming Fernandez's identity, the Houston FBI allegedly executed a search warrant at his home and found expensive Converse All-Star shoes similar to those seen in the video, the report said. did. (Related: Local rap artist allegedly kept woman captive for years and sexually abused her in his garage: police)
Fernandez previously worked at the popular Galleria Mall in Houston, Texas, where one of the toddler's parents also worked, according to Fox Houston. According to court documents, on May 6, 2023, the parents of one of the toddlers forced the child to go to the mall after being called but unable to find child care. Documents say Fernandez offered to care for the infant upon arrival, according to Fox Houston.
According to the documents, Fox Houston reported that the other toddler's parent allegedly had a similar incident with Fernandez, and that one day after Fernandez took the child to work, Fernandez again took the child. He claimed that he saw her and offered to walk around the mall with her. According to the media, Fernandez was said to have watched over her second child twice, in December 2022 and October 2023.
Authorities believe at least one of the alleged incidents occurred inside a public restroom at Galleria Mall due to an image of a changing table. according to To USA Today.
“The evidence in this case is overwhelming and revolting,” the judge said in a court order ensuring Fernandez remains in police custody until trial, the newspaper reported. “I cannot condone (him) abusing other minors, and there is no condition or combination of conditions that can reduce the risk to the community. This is not a close call.”
