By John Dugan, The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.
Jun. 15–An 8-year-old girl was molested at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Corte Madera on Saturday night, and police are seeking anyone who may have witnessed the assault.
The incident occurred between 7:30 and 7:40 p.m. in the store at the Town Center shopping mall. The girl was sitting in the children’s books section of the store when she was reportedly approached by a man who asked if her parents were nearby, Twin Cities police Detective Sean Kerr said.
The girl did not answer and tried to leave the area, but the man blocked her path. He then knelt and reached under the girl’s dress, Kerr said.
The girl found her mother nearby after the attack and described the incident. The mother quickly searched the store for the suspect, then alerted store security and called the police at about 8 p.m.
The girl described the man as Hispanic male, in his mid-20s to mid-30s. He was wearing a black T-shirt, black pants and black boots, with close-cropped dark brown hair. He was 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-10, and clean-shaven.
The man was holding a walkie-talkie or Nextel phone device, Kerr said. He was last seen leaving the front parking-lot entrance to Barnes & Noble.
“This is a very rare occurrence in Corte Madera,” Kerr said. “It’s a rather brazen attack on an 8-year-old girl in a bookstore, in public.”
The girl was taken to Children’s Hospital in Oakland, but was released with no injuries. Police are reviewing security camera tapes for any more information on the incident, Kerr
said.
Anyone who witnessed the event or saw a man matching the suspect’s description at the Town Center between 7:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday is asked to call Detective Mike Norton at 927-5175.
Contact John Dugan via e-mail at [email protected]
Read more Corte Madera stories at the IJ’s Larkspur, Corte Madera section.
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