Man charged in child-luring case returns to court today
WARREN — A man charged in connection with reported child-luring incidents at a local gas station is set to return to court today.
In Warren Municipal Court on Tuesday, Francisco Javier Flores, 38, pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping; attempting to commit an offense — felony; sexual imposition; and contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a minor.
According to a police report, two Warren officers were called Sunday to the Pit Stop One on Youngstown Road, with an employee saying two Hispanic men tried talking to a 15-year-old girl.
The report states the men offered the girl money to go with them and tried grabbing her, eventually leaving in a gray SUV. Flores was not directly named in the report, but was only named as one of the involved persons.
A second report, taken Tuesday around 11, notes that a man brought his 13-year-old granddaughter to the police station in reference to a report, explaining he was told about an incident at Pit Stop over the weekend.
The man showed the officer a video circulating on social media of his granddaughter being accosted by an unknown man, mentioning officers made an arrest on the same man in a different incident.
The girl said she was visiting her aunt when she walked over to the gas station to get some snacks, explaining that a Hispanic man followed her into the store and followed her around, according to the report.
The report states the man threw a $100 bill down to buy her stuff, but she declined the offer, which he insisted upon.
The report states the man was using an interpreter app and spoke into his phone, telling the officer that he kept asking her to come to his house or into his car, which she rejected and was trying to leave.
The man said he wanted a woman to be his friend, and when she tried to leave he held out his arm and would not allow her to move, the report states. The video shows the man leaning in to try and kiss her, and she turned her head and tried to leave, but the man kept her pinned into the wall, not allowing her to leave.
The report states the man seemed to turn and the girl was able to get out of the store, but the man started to follow her. An unknown man walked outside and called her back into the store to keep her away from the guy.
No bond was set for Flores, whose address was not provided, after the prosecutor argued for remand, based on the seriousness of the offenses, the victim’s age and risk of flight and safety for the community, according to court records.
