MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 32-year-old man faces a lewd and lascivious molestation charge after police said he followed a 10-year-old boy home from a northwest Miami-Dade convenience store and then molested him.
According to an arrest form, on Oct. 7, Marquis Crawford saw the boy at the Bawa Food Market, located at 9300 NW 17th Ave. in the county’s West Little River area, and offered to pay for his food.
Recommended Videos
The boy declined, but after he left the store, Crawford approached him and gave him $2, police said.
Police said the victim walked home and soon after he got back, heard a knock at the door—it was Crawford.
Crawford told the young boy that he knew his mother and convinced him to go behind the house, according to the report.
There, he “pulled down the victim’s pants and fondled his buttocks over his underwear,” the report states.
The boy tried to get away but Crawford pulled his arm back towards him, police said.
After a struggle, police said the boy managed to break free and yelled for help.
A witness came outside, saw the young boy in distress and ran with him back inside the house, locked the door and got in touch his mother, the report states.
Police said after they arrested Crawford Monday, he denied the allegations.
Officers took him to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.