Homeless man pleads not guilty to assaulting boy in library bathroom

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A man accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy in a restroom of the public library in Texarkana, Texas, pleaded not guilty Monday.

Javier Perez, 26, is facing five to 99 years or life in prison if found guilty. He appeared Monday afternoon for arraignment before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Bowie County Public Defender Clayton Haas entered the not guilty plea on Perez’s behalf.

Tidwell set the case for a pretrial hearing Oct. 22.

Library employees became concerned June 26 when they noticed a homeless man take an 11-year-old boy with him to the men’s bathroom two times. A male employee entered the bathroom and shouted after seeing two sets of feet in a locked stall with their pants pulled down.

Texarkana, Texas, police officers who responded to a call from library personnel learned determined the homeless man to be Perez, of Terrell, Texas. The boy had already left the library with a parent before library staff or police could speak with him.

Police contacted the boy’s father who returned to the library at their request. The boy allegedly disclosed that Perez sat down at his table and showed him pictures of a naked woman removing her clothes before leading him to the bathroom.

The boy said he said, “No,” when Perez asked him to pull his pants down. The boy said Perez pulled both of their pants down and touched the boy inappropriately before sexually assaulting him in the stall.

Perez is currently being held in the Bowie County jail. Bail is set at $100,000.

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