Rhode Island man charged with kidnapping, sexual assault of 9-year-old girl
10/07/2020 11:23 am PDT
via WJAR:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) -- A Cranston man accused of abducting a 9-year-old child was ordered held without bail on Wednesday.
Luis Martinez-Romero, 34, was arraigned on charges of kidnapping a minor and second-degree sexual assault.
Within 24 hours, police were able to catch the suspect who they say kidnapped a girl who just got off her bus near Grover and Merino streets in Providence Monday. Home surveillance video shows Martinez-Romero taking the girl into his car just after 3 p.m. Police said the girl was later dropped off not far from where she was taken.
The girl told police where Martinez-Romero allegedly took her, including to a Burger King. A tip on Tuesday night regarding where Martinez-Romero was led to his arrest close to the scene of the abduction, police said.
Police said the married suspect has no known record. Police said when officers located him, he was holding his own baby.
Police on Tuesday released surveillance video that shows a person running up from behind the girl and grabbing her, then carrying her to an SUV, Boston.com reports.
WATCH: Surveillance video shows the moment a 9-year-old girl was abducted in Providence on Monday afternoon.
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Police are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect.
MORE: https://t.co/5nyd8OVWc5 pic.twitter.com/JSqwuUAC0O
WPRI reports there appears to be no connection between the victim and suspect, according to police.
A police report filed with the court said the girl told police the suspect took her to a remote location and sexually assaulted her, then drove to a Burger King drive-through to buy her food. The girl's memory of the order -- 10-piece spicy chicken nuggets and a soft drink -- proved crucial in solving the case, according to detectives.
Investigators went to multiple Burger King locations in Providence and Cranston and sifted through surveillance video until they spotted the suspect vehicle in the drive-thru at the 966 Park Ave. location in Cranston. The manager found the chicken nugget order that happened at the same time, according to the report, which gave detectives a debit card number. Police went with a warrant to a TD Bank branch in Providence, where they linked the card number to a name and address. Martinez-Romero was arrested at an establishment on Manton Avenue in Providence.
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