Man accused of groping Texas girl on the run after previous ICE hold
Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, a man with a long criminal history, is on the run after allegedly groping a 7-year-old girl in Texas while she walked home from school.
Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, previously the subject of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold, is on the run after being accused of groping a 7-year-old Texas girl as she walked home from school.
Ayala Morales has been charged with felony attempted indecency with a child, according to the Houston Police Department. He allegedly grabbed the girl on January 27 while she was walking home from her elementary school.
The girl's mother reported that the child was walking behind her older sister and a friend when the man approached, groped her, and fled. In shock, the girl did not scream and informed her sister only after they had reached home.
"A man came behind me, and he touched my private parts," the girl told local news.
The victim's mother expressed her hope that Morales would be caught and imprisoned for a long time to protect other children.
Morales has a lengthy criminal record. In 2017, he was charged with four counts of indecency with a child and evading arrest, and was linked to at least 10 sexual assault incidents in the northeast Houston and Harris County areas.
Authorities were also investigating a series of sexual assaults involving school-aged girls, aged 7-15, on their way to and from school. In some cases, Ayala approached victims from behind and inappropriately touched them.
In one alarming incident, he attempted to abduct a 7-year-old girl while she walked home with her 9-year-old brother. The victim's mother expressed fear over the situation, noting the close proximity to her own child.
After his 2017 arrest, ICE placed a detainer request for Morales, a Honduran citizen, which was removed when he was convicted. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported that Ayala served concurrent seven-year sentences for multiple counts of indecency with a child, evading arrest, and other charges.
