Odessa police arrested a 28-year-old Dallas man accused of molesting an 11-year-old girl and trying to kidnap her Sunday at an Odessa hotel.
Police were called to the MCM Grandé FunDome on Business 20, according to a probable cause affidavit, at about 8:09 p.m. Sunday about an attempted kidnapping. Officers that arrived found several people in front of the median on Business 20.
They reported determining that the girl had recently told her adult brother and stepfather that the man police identified as Jose Padilla had touched her buttocks earlier that day.
The girl reportedly told them she thought it was a mistake until in an elevator at the hotel “he grabbed her by the stomach and told her to go with him.” But the girl reportedly ran once the elevator doors opened, while Padilla cursed and ran the opposite direction.
Police reported the brother and stepfather found Padilla soon afterwards and tried to “detain him” and then chased him outside of the hotel before catching him and detaining him by force until officers arrived. A mug shot of Padilla showed small injuries to his face.
“This was a great citizen’s arrest,” police spokesman Cpl. Steve LeSueur said.
Police reported arresting Padilla on a felony charge of indecency with a child and a misdemeanor possession of marijuana warrant out of Dallas. Officers reported Padilla said “he had been drinking at the bar in the hotel” and that “he was lonely and wanted to talk to a female” before seeing the girl in the elevator and touching her.
Padilla, 8888 Park Lane, Dallas, was listed as being held Monday at the Ector County Detention Center with no bond set.
