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http://wJuly 23, 2004, 10:11PM
Accomplice in string of terror remains at large
Attacks include sexual assault and threat to kill baby
By PEGGY O'HARE
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
They were home invasions so brutal even young children weren't spared the violence.
In one case, a gun was stuck in a 5-month-old baby's mouth. In another, a 17-month-old girl was thrown against a wall and terrorized so badly she couldn't sleep or eat for two days, police said.
A woman also was sexually assaulted during one of the attacks.
Police arrested a man for both cases after an unrelated kidnapping led to his downfall. But investigators are still searching for an unidentified accomplice who helped terrorize one of the families.
Jose Nelson Gonzalez Garcia, 21, is charged with aggravated kidnapping and three counts of aggravated robbery in the home invasions and the later abduction, Houston robbery investigators said.
Also arrested in the abduction were Raul Hernandez, 25, of the 8900 block of Bissonnet, and Christian Sanchez, 25, of the 6500 block of Hillcroft. Each is charged with one count of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
None would give police the name of a fourth man who remains at large and is depicted in a composite drawing released Friday.
Garcia and the man in the drawing are accused of storming an apartment in the 5900 block of Dashwood July 11. One had a pistol, while the other grabbed a pair of scissors inside the apartment as they demanded money and jewelry, said Houston Police Department robbery investigator Roger Chappell.
One woman was pushed into a bathroom, forced to disrobe and sexually assaulted. When the intruders were unable to get any cash or jewelry, one man shoved a gun in a 5-month-old baby's mouth and threatened to kill the infant, police said.
When that scare tactic failed, one of the intruders placed a round in the pistol and physically assaulted the woman with the gun, Chappell said.
Two days later, several men stormed another apartment in the 6200 block of Rampart around 7 p.m. Three residents were beaten, and one of the intruders threw a 17-month-old girl against the wall.
Days after the attack, that child was still so traumatized that she became hysterical at the sound of any man's voice but her father's, Chappell said.
The suspects' luck ran out the night of July 15 when a man was kidnapped at gunpoint while stepping out of his car to go to a restaurant in the 7000 block of Bissonnet. The man was forced back into his car and taken somewhere where his captors tried to use his ATM card, but the man gave the wrong personal identification number. After the two kidnappers threatened to kill him, the man eventually revealed his PIN.
After using the victim's card to withdraw money at a grocery on Bissonnet, the kidnappers walked away from the man's car. One was picked up in a getaway vehicle, but the other struggled with a security guard before running away. Police later stopped the getaway car, arresting two of the suspects, and found the third man hiding in some bushes, Chappell said.
Police recovered a pistol, ammunition and personal property belonging to one of the families targeted in the home invasions, Chappell said.
All three men were charged in the kidnapping, and Garcia also was positively identified in both home invasions, Chappell said.
The wanted man featured in the drawing is believed to be Salvadoran because of his accent. He is believed to be in his late 20s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a thin build. Anyone with information is urged to call the Houston Police Department robbery division at 713-308-0700 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
This is Texas. These guys need to pick a house owned by a member of the TheHighRoad!
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2698448
