45°
STAMFORD, Conn. — A Stamford handyman, suspected of groping a 15-year-old girl in the home where he was working, was arrested Thursday, police said.
The victim told police she was in a bathroom connected to her bedroom Wednesday when the suspect, Juan Carlos Hernandez, 35, entered and told her he liked her perfume, said Sgt. Joseph Kennedy of the Youth Services Bureau. He then grabbed her by the hips and began smelling her, Kennedy said. He also slid his hand down her back and buttocks, the sergeant said.
The victim is sleeping on a couch in the family room while the work is done in the home, Kennedy said. Hernandez has previously woken her up twice prior, he said. The second time he was massaging her shoulders, Kennedy said.
She reported the incident to the babysitter, who was caring for a younger child and was not in the home when the incident happened in the bathroom, Kennedy said. The babysitter then called police.
Hernandez, who has previously been arrested on sexual assault charges, told police that he was “friendly and nice,” Kennedy said. He was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a child and fourth-degree sexual assault, police said.
He was held on $100,000 court set bond, and a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer was placed on him, Kennedy said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Stamford and receive free news updates.
