Colorado man in clown mask allegedly broke into home and tried to kidnap 8-year-old girl
10/23/2024 12:21 pm PDT
STERLING, Colo. (TCN) -- Police recently arrested a man who allegedly broke into a home and tried to kidnap a young girl in the middle of the night.
According to the Sterling Police Department, shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 15, officers responded to a report of an attempted child abduction on Walnut Street. An individual, later identified by police as 56-year-old Thomas Gallegos, allegedly attacked an 8-year-old girl in her bedroom.
KCNC-TV reports officers said Gallegos was wearing a cloth clown mask at the time and blindfolded the child. The 8-year-old reportedly fought back, and Gallegos allegedly tried to hit and choke her. The suspect reportedly fled the scene with the victim's phone but left behind the clown mask and a pair of gloves.
According to KCNC, the girl sustained cuts and bruises in the attack, but her injuries were not life-threatening. Authorities reportedly located the victim's phone near an interstate.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Gallegos and arrested him on Oct. 19. He faces charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, attempted second-degree kidnapping, third-degree assault, and child abuse.
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