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OLD HABITS DIE HARD
By KARIN KELLY
FORT WORTH—Fort Worth police said a New Orleans evacuee is jail after he attempted to abduct a 14-year-old girl on her way home from school Monday. The suspect fled from Hurricane Katrina and recently moved from a shelter into temporary housing on Fort Worth's east side. An Eastern Hills High School freshman had just gotten off the school bus when she said a 28-year-old stranger tried to strike up a conversation. She said the conversation ended up in a struggle. "He took it upon himself to run up from behind, grabbed her and said, 'You're coming with me,'" said Lt. Dean Sullivan, Fort Worth Police. "That caused her to act out - fight out." Police said she kicked, screamed and drew a lot of attention. She was able to break free of the suspect and then called 911 as she ran away. She then made it to the safety of her apartment and was still on the phone with police when she directed them to suspect Glenn Eric Holloway. "And we actually found this suspect Holloway still looking for her in the complex," said Sullivan. "Of course, he denied anything." Meanwhile, police said they have continued searching shelters for sex offenders who may have seized an opportunity to disappear. And while Holloway was not a registered sex offender, officers plan to find those who are and register them in Texas.
By JENNIFER EMILY DALLAS—A Hurricane Katrina evacuee staying with a Plano family was arrested Tuesday and accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, police said. Freddie Murray, 48, of New Orleans was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. Mr. Murray is a distant relative of the girl, police said. Police didn't know the exact relationship. "The guy is an evacuee staying with distant relatives, and he allegedly assaulted a 13-year-old staying at that residence," Plano police spokesman Officer Carl Duke said. "He's been taken out of the residence and is in jail." There have been reports of rapes of evacuees staying in New Orleans shelters. No other reports of similar incidents in the Dallas area were known at this time. Jane Donovan, community educator for the Collin County Children's Advocacy Center, said parents must always be on guard when they invite people into their homes, whether it's someone they know or strangers. "As heart-wrenching as these evacuees are, and as wonderful as it is to see the outpouring of support, when we invite anybody in our home, we have no idea what their background is," Ms. Donovan said. "As parents, if we open up our home, we need to put up conditions and boundaries. We need to not leave our children alone." Authorities said never leave children or other vulnerable family members with the people staying in their homes. They urged people to be cautious. The circumstances of what happened were not clear by Tuesday afternoon. The family called police at 2:39 a.m. Tuesday, Office Duke said. Officer Duke said the investigation is continuing. He declined to comment further. Mr. Murray remained at the Collin County Jail late Tuesday in lieu of $15,000 bail.
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