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CNN Live At Daybreak

Sex Assault Investigation

Aired July 14, 2003 - 06:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, parents, here's a scary story for you. In Charleston, West Virginia, police say an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted during a shopping trip with her mom to a Target store. They're now looking for the suspect who they say can be seen on surveillance videotape watching the girl and waiting for his chance to attack.
Mary Nelson of our affiliate WSAZ has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY NELSON, WSAZ-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Tape showing this man. Police say he sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl at this Target in South Charleston. Standing between two aisles of CDs, he's watching the girl as she's looking at DVDs. Surveillance shows he scouted the girl and her mom for about a half hour. Once the girl and her mom split, he posed as a security officer in toys saying he suspected her of stealing merchandise and said she needed to come with him. That's when he pulled a knife on her and said he'd hurt her if she didn't cooperate.

SGT. STAN MILLER, SOUTH CHARLESTON POLICE: A lot of people get the misconception that small town America, you know it's not going to happen here; unfortunately, it does.

NELSON: Police say after he threatened the girl, this man led her through the store and sexually assaulted her in the Lawn and Garden Department. But when customer traffic picked up, he led the girl to men's wear and assaulted her again.

MILLER: From the way he did this, it's pretty obvious that he's probably done it before or at least tried it before. You know this is somebody's brother, neighbor, cousin. He's related to somebody. We want to find him before he does it again, before he hurts someone.

NELSON: Police are still looking for this man. He's in his late 20's, early 30's, between 5'5" and 6" tall, about 200 pounds with brown hair wearing a green colored hat that says "Just Golf."

Julie Nagy has two daughters and says things like this aren't supposed to happen here.

JULIE NAGY, CHARLESTON MOM: You don't want to put the fear on, you know, that they can't do anything because you know you want them -- you know they need to have a little bit of freedom. And -- but it's now that something like that has happened in this size of a town, it's really, you know -- it's scary. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Mary Nelson of our affiliate WSAZ. Police sure hope you recognize that man. They're asking for your help in trying to track him down.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired July 14, 2003 - 06:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, parents, here's a scary story for you. In Charleston, West Virginia, police say an 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted during a shopping trip with her mom to a Target store. They're now looking for the suspect who they say can be seen on surveillance videotape watching the girl and waiting for his chance to attack.
Mary Nelson of our affiliate WSAZ has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY NELSON, WSAZ-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Tape showing this man. Police say he sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl at this Target in South Charleston. Standing between two aisles of CDs, he's watching the girl as she's looking at DVDs. Surveillance shows he scouted the girl and her mom for about a half hour. Once the girl and her mom split, he posed as a security officer in toys saying he suspected her of stealing merchandise and said she needed to come with him. That's when he pulled a knife on her and said he'd hurt her if she didn't cooperate.

SGT. STAN MILLER, SOUTH CHARLESTON POLICE: A lot of people get the misconception that small town America, you know it's not going to happen here; unfortunately, it does.

NELSON: Police say after he threatened the girl, this man led her through the store and sexually assaulted her in the Lawn and Garden Department. But when customer traffic picked up, he led the girl to men's wear and assaulted her again.

MILLER: From the way he did this, it's pretty obvious that he's probably done it before or at least tried it before. You know this is somebody's brother, neighbor, cousin. He's related to somebody. We want to find him before he does it again, before he hurts someone.

NELSON: Police are still looking for this man. He's in his late 20's, early 30's, between 5'5" and 6" tall, about 200 pounds with brown hair wearing a green colored hat that says "Just Golf."

Julie Nagy has two daughters and says things like this aren't supposed to happen here.

JULIE NAGY, CHARLESTON MOM: You don't want to put the fear on, you know, that they can't do anything because you know you want them -- you know they need to have a little bit of freedom. And -- but it's now that something like that has happened in this size of a town, it's really, you know -- it's scary. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Mary Nelson of our affiliate WSAZ. Police sure hope you recognize that man. They're asking for your help in trying to track him down.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com