HOUSTON — Houston police believe they’ve solved an attempted kidnapping case that shook up neighbors near Memorial Park.
Lewis Hernandez, 43, is charged with aggravated kidnapping in connection with the case that happened on February 24.
A 12-year-old was going to the park to visit her hamster’s grave near a small lake along Crestwood Drive.
She told investigators she noticed a man following her and then saw him sitting by the lake in the new Eastern Glades Section of the park around 3 p.m.
The girl said she was walking when he ambushed her from behind and threw her to the ground face first. He sat on top of her for a few seconds while she screamed for help. Then the suspect ran off into the woods.
The victim ran home and told her mother what happened.
The attack was captured on a nearby surveillance camera.
The girl helped the HPD sketch artist draw a composite that was released by Crime Stoppers and the media.
That led to a tip from another 12-year-old girl who told police the same man attacked her. She identified him as Lewis Hernandez and said he lives in the neighborhood.
More tips came in identifying Hernandez as a suspect who has been preying on young girls in the neighborhood and at a nearby library.
Hernandez is bald, stands about 6 feet tall with an average build.
If you have any information on this case or others, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submit them online at www.crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app.