The Dallas Morning News: Metro
Address:http://www.dallasnews.com/metro/stories/pictures_16met.ART.Zone1.Edition1.a3ef0.html
Thursday | January 17, 2002
Intruder cuffed by resident may be molester, police say 01/16/2002
By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News

A father who handcuffed a man who broke into a home in Far East Dallas
may have helped police catch a serial molester, police said Tuesday.

Police charged Fernendez A. Perez, 20, after police said he was caught
Saturday, allegedly in the bedroom of a sleeping 15-year-old girl.

Two charges, indecency with a child by contact, and burglary, stem from
an October incident in which a man broke into a family’s home and
sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl. In that incident, police found
photos of children from the family outside a window, leading them to
think the suspect might have taken them as “trophies.”

Mr. Perez faces another burglary charge in Saturday’s incident.

Deputy Chief Alfredo Saldana, who oversees the Youth & Family Support
Division, said the man might be connected to similar crimes in the area.

Sgt. Byron Fassett, a supervisor in the child exploitation unit, said
investigators would determine whether he will be charged with other
crimes.

Both homes are within walking distance of Mr. Perez’s house.

The father of the 12-year-old said Tuesday he hopes the arrest will help
his daughter feel safe in their home. She has seen a counselor, he said.

“It was a relief for her. She was very insecure,” said the father, who
is not being named to protect his daughter’s identity. “I’ve noticed she
doesn’t like to be alone. She likes to be where I am.”

Police hope the 12-year-old girl can identify the suspect. Although it
was dark, a television provided enough light to see his face, according
to a police report.

Mr. Perez, who is being held in lieu of $225,000 bail at Lew Sterrett
Justice Center, could not be reached for comment. Jail records show that
an attorney has not been appointed for him.

Neighbors said Tuesday that they did not know
Mr. Perez or the woman and several men who share a house with him. One
woman said the men worked in construction and often had equipment at the
home in the 2600 block of Province Lane. No one answered the door
Tuesday.

In Saturday’s incident, the girl’s father, William Hazlewood, grabbed a
handgun as the man slipped into his 15-year-old daughter’s room, Chief
Saldana said. He opened the door, trapping the man behind the door.

The intruder’s pants were around his knees, according to a police
report. The girl was not harmed and Mr. Perez signed a confession
admitting the offense, the report said.

Mr. Hazlewood handcuffed the man and held him at gunpoint in the living
room until police arrived at the home in the 9000 block of San Lea
Drive, police said.

“I woke up at 3 in the morning to him standing in our living room. The
way our room is, I can see out there,” said Patti Hazlewood, the girl’s
mother. “My eyes met with his for a second, and I just laid back down in
our bed. I thought he would leave. He didn’t, and I started screaming
for my husband.”

In the Oct. 7 incident, the man sexually assaulted the 12-year-old as
she slept, according to a police report.

The man climbed out a broken window, which he had used to enter the
room.

When police arrived, they found several children’s photos outside the
home, which is in the 2300 block of Larry Drive, police said. The man
might have been taking the photos as trophies, Chief Saldana said.

The 12-year-old’s father said police told his family Mr. Perez admitted
he was in the home that night.

Police also plan to search Mr. Perez’s home for more children’s pictures
and review other burglaries in the area.

Mrs. Hazlewood said no pictures were missing from her home.

Sgt. Fassett said it’s not uncommon for criminals to watch a house to
determine which room belongs to a child.

“Other perpetrators have told us they look for where a child stays,”
Sgt. Fassett said. “They look for nightlights and toys.”

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