Man Arrested For Molesting Girl, 8, In Redlands Target

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REDLANDS (CBSLA) – A Hesperia man already charged with exposing himself to a group of middle school girls was arrested Sunday on allegations of molesting an 8-year-old girl in a Target store in Redlands last week.

Surveillance photos of a man suspected of molesting a girl in a Redlands target store on Sept. 6, 2019. (Redlands Police Department)

Twenty-five-year-old Alex Francisco Chavez was charged Sunday with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 after he voluntarily agreed to submit to an interview with detectives at Redlands police headquarters.

Chavez is already facing seven counts of exposing himself to a group of girls outside a Hesperia middle school back in February, police said. That case is ongoing.

On the evening of Friday, Sept. 6, police say a man believed to be Chavez entered the toy section at a Target store located at 27320 W. Lugonia Ave., where he spoke to an 8-year-old girl. As she was walking away to go meet her mother, he followed her and then grabbed her chest from behind, police say.

When the victim's mother confronted Chavez, he denied doing so and left the store, police say. He fled in a 2003 to 2007 four-door Honda Accord.

Based on information released on social media, detectives identified Chavez as the suspect. After interviewing him at the police station, he was taken into custody.

Due to the previous charges he is facing, police enhanced his bail to $500,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.