Aurora, Colorado — Police in Aurora say a guy kidnapped and groped a 14-year-old girl around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Three people allegedly kidnapped her while she was standing outside her home on the 500 block of Potomac Street. They claimed that the group forced the young girl into another unit in the same development.
She was able to escape and reunite with her family, who reported the incident to the police. The event has put residents in the region on high alert.
“We saw a bunch of cops in each corner of the building, and we just thought they were patrolling or something,” said neighbor Reyne Rincon. “To be honest, it’s very scary. Knowing that it is here, where there are many children. Like, I see a bunch of kids.”
Officers said they apprehended two of the three suspects on Sunday and arrested Jhon Balestrini-Ferrer at a nearby Shell petrol station. According to the Aurora Police Department’s arrest affidavit for Balestrini-Ferrer, the teenager was offered $500 for sex.
“It puts me on alert,” Rincon remarked. “I’ll be looking out for the kids out here honestly now.”
Balestrini-Ferrer faces charges of enticing a child, second-degree kidnapping, and sexual assault on a child, which police have confirmed is for touching.
“Seeing the kids playing outside gave me that piece of mind like maybe it isn’t so bad, but just knowing they are getting targeted now, it’s very sad,” said Rincon.
According to the complaint, Balestrini-Ferrer allegedly pulled the child into his apartment unit, injuring her left wrist. It’s unclear how long she’s been inside. However, the arrest affidavit states that after being overwhelmed by him once, she was able to push him away and exit the unit.
The police report goes on to allege that while she was trying to get home, the man reached beneath her skirt and grabbed her buttocks.
“Be very careful a lot of things do happen here it’s not the first time we’ve seen cops here, just seeing that things are kind of escalating more,” Rincon told us. “It’s very concerning.”
Balestrini-Ferrer is now being held at Arapahoe County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.
