[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Women in the online dating community around the Houston area are being asked to recall whether they came into contact with a man who was allegedly preying on single mothers with the goal of sexually assaulting their children.
Investigators in Montgomery County, Texas arrested 42-year-old Epifanio Adolfo Jimenez (pictured above in his arrest mugshot) earlier this month on separate but related charges, and soon developed concerns that he may have been targeting single moms on dating apps, building trust, and then asking to spend time with their children. In turn, cops believe, he apparently intended to then commit sexual assault on the targeted children.
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Jimenez was first brought to police attention after he was arrested back on March 15 of this year and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. In that case, the man was accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl several years ago. The girl, who is now 17 years old, reportedly “made an outcry to her high school counselor” about Jimenez earlier this year, telling the school professional about what had allegedly happened to her back in 2017.
The victim told her counselor and later the police that Jimenez came home from work drunk one day, entered her room, and allegedly began yelling that she “did not appreciate what he does for her.” From there, the girl claimed, he pushed her onto the bed and raped her, only stopping when he heard a noise in the hall. For years, the victim reported, she was terrified to tell anyone about the attack. After interviewing both the girl and Jimenez, investigators determined there was enough probable cause in her story to move forward with filing charges against him.
Police began investigating further, and determined that the girl’s mother had a prior connection to Jimenez. Lt. Scott Spencer of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office explained to the media that Jimenez did not meet the girl’s mother on a dating app, saying (below):
“It wasn’t an actual relationship that happened there. There was some familiarity between the victim and suspect.”
However, investigators soon began looking deeper into Jimenez’s life and social patterns, and they quickly became extremely interested about his online behavior. They learned that Jimenez was previously on probation in Galveston County, Texas, for “online solicitation of a minor.” Further, they determined that he was using dating apps throughout the past few years, and their inquiry into his activity has made authorities believe he may have been targeting single mothers in order to gain access to their children.
Now, per Click2Houston, investigators are looking for more insight into his alleged pattern, and cautioning the public that there may be more victims in this case who could have possibly met with Jimenez, or allowed him to have contact with their children.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is asking potential victims or those concerned about having been in touch with the man to reach out to the police at 936-760-5800, and reference case #22A067965.
So scary…
[Image via Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office]
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