PORTLAND, Ore. — A man pled not guilty to charges of sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl on Tuesday after allegedly grabbing and groping her near Mt. Tabor Park, according to court documents.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 16, officers responded to reports of a sexual assault of a minor near the park in Southeast Portland. Dispatch said the man, later identified as 32-year-old Fernando Junior Garces, was still in the park and was being followed by witnesses, the affidavit said.
Shortly after, officers located Garces and placed him into custody.
The girl told detectives she had been walking with her mother and their dog, when Garces “came out of nowhere and lunged at her.” And while doing so, grabbed her over her running shorts, court documents said.
Her mother confronted Garces and began to follow and record him with her phone as he left the park.
The mother said Garces pulled out his phone to record her back, telling her something along the lines of, “you’re just trying to get famous,” the affidavit said.
While following him in the park, the mother confronted Garces about touching children.
Two woman nearby called 911 and watched the girl until her mother returned. Another witness reported hearing someone yell, “he touched my daughter,” and took photos of the man that helped to identify Garces.
A separate witness jogging in the park heard that the man had been “inappropriately touching a child in the park" and began to follow him until officers arrived.
