Posted on 08/22/2007 8:44:24 AM PDT by kiki04
Assault Of 5-Year-Old Alleged In Store Dressing Room
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- According to state police, a 5-year-old girl was molested with a clothes hanger in the dressing room of a department store in Westmoreland County.
Police said the girl showed her mother what she said a man did to her at the Gabriel Brothers store on Route 30 in Hempfield Township.
Police said Clint Helmick, 44, of Canonsburg, Washington County, was in the store returning merchandise when he noticed the girl shopping with her mother, brother and aunt.
While the adults weren't looking, police said Helmick used a clothes hanger to inappropriately touch the girl between her legs while pleasuring himself.
"You can't take your eyes off your kids," said Trooper Jeanne Martin with Pennsylvania State Police. "You need to know where they are at all times to ensure their safety."
Court papers said the girl screamed for her mother and told her what happened, while the girl's aunt chased Helmick into the parking lot and down Route 30 before losing him.
State police checked surveillance tape, and the store used personal information on Helmick's receipt to help troopers find Helmick and arrest him.
"He was identified through the store surveillance and also through an account by the young lady," said Martin.
Helmick was charged with two counts of indecent assault and placed in the Westmoreland County Prison. He posted bond and is awaiting a preliminary hearing.
What can ya say?
I hope the perp gets a 300 pound horny cellmate. Or ends up decorating a lamppost somewhere.
Not too bright either . . . apparently pays with a credit card before perfoming his foul deed.
BOB IT!
how long was this 5yr old gone before the mother noticed?
too many parents let their children run amok when in stores. they should be more diligent not only for the childs safety which is foremost but for the courtesy of other shoppers and respect of the shop they are in. i find this annoying when trying to shop at times. i have a young child and she stays right with me at all times with the direction of “no touching”
i hate when im trying to do grocery shopping or clothes shopping and i have to work around kids that are left unattended while the mother is totally engaged in her own activity.
morale to this tale ..watch your kids!
Just curious—have you broken your capital I key ?
nope its just a personal problem with caps...sorry its just me.
Whew! I’m relieved—thought I’d missed a new religion or something—LOL!
Though that annoys me to no end too, I am holding *him* responsible, anything can happen fairly quickly, especially in a public place.
I really wish there were death sentences for sex offenders against children. In and out of jail for these guys is rediculous.
I wasnt taking anything away from holding that scum responsible...I have a solution for men like him (its not very nice but then scum like him deserve such in my opinion)...however ...too many parents think that they can let their kids just run about in public places teaching them neither responsibility nor respect...and in todays society to do so is irresponsible on the parents part too.
it isnt easy taking kids out anymore but due diligence on the parents part is unfortunately not an option but a necessity. and thats a big message that has yet to sink in to so many.
Why?
Because you fit the profile of a typical abductor. (Who, in almost all - but not all - of these cases are older white men.)
So, even though you know exactly what to do, you have to be careful while doing it so that your actions cannot in any way be misinterpreted as an attempt to abduct the child.
In dealing with the typical lost-child-asking-for-help-in- the-department-store-situation, I follow four rules:
Rule #1: No matter how much they are crying or look like they need comforting, do not touch the child in any way.
Rule #2: Without holding their hand or touching them lightly on the shoulder or anything else, have them follow you to the nearest sales representative, preferably in a wide open sales area.
Rule #3: Tell the sales clerk that the child says they are lost and ask them for help. Usually this means a call to security.
Rule # 4: Once the sales representative takes charge, check out with them and leave.
Now, of course, common sense has to prevail and there are times when more physical contact must occur. You can never leave a small child in a dangerous situation.
Within the last two days, there has been an incident here in Northern Virginia, where a woman came across a crying 3 year-old girl on a sidewalk while out on her morning jog. She took her in charge but immediately walked her to a neighborhood house and asked the resident to call the police. The police came and discovered the girl and her 19 month-old sibling had been left alone at the family home (which, IIRC was within a block of where the jogger first encountered her). When mom returned home (about 2 1/2 hours later), the police were waiting for her. Mom (who is from southeast Asia judging from her name) got counseled by the police and is being investigated by Child Protective Services. The kids are at home in the custody of Dad (who was away at work at the time of the incident).
Lamppost and the horny 300 lb inmate should be hanging from the next one if you’re saying what I know you’re saying.
Why are these guys allowed bail at all ?
Oh for Pete’s sake - and we wonder why our kids have no initiative and individual thought. It’s your job to teach them proper behavior when out of your sight. How do you intend to do so if you never let them out of your sight ? Unattended does not always equate to misbehaving. Mom has ears, you know, or like many of us, eyes in the back of her head.
You prefer we not allow them out of the sight of Mom or Dad - for how long ? Age 9 ? 12? 15 ?
A 5 yo can be peacefully occupied not tearing up the store and proper behavior in public places, except that now we have to watch out for the perverts and the dour adults like you who disapprove of children not under the immediate control of their parents.
its sad i know....i recently took a long trip with my 7yr old in tow...shes a beauty and often attracks much attention...what i found sad was that i find myself suspicious of anyone who comments on her...or is friendly to her. its a scary world now thanks to the amount of idiotic scum that prey on kids...but again due diligence is the responsibility of the parent...and one can never let that down in public places anymore.
your story of the unattended child makes my point...this irresponsible mother is just as bad in my opinion.
lordy...read what i said...
loves people who jump to conclusions....initiative? individual thought? how about the initiative to know what proper behavior is...or the individual thought as to have common courtesy? yes proper behavior is NOT to go running about a store tearing down merchandise...proper behavior for the parent should be to attend to their child as most cherished and to teach them what proper behavior is in private as well as public. a five year old should NEVER be left unattended in a public place...no matter how well behaved they are or how much you think individual thought is important...to do so is irresponsible. i engage my child in the shopping experience and not allow her to run helter skelter throughtout stores.
she has her own mind believe me...and an abundance of individual thought...she knows and has been schooled in what to do in emergencies...read again ...and chill out.
Good advice and worth repeating.
FMCDH(BITS)
Any hardware stores nearby?
If some fruit did this to my kid they’d be at the end of a short rope and a long drop...
!Enough of this crap already!
You might be thought to make more sense if you’d have the courtesy to use full sentences, caps and proper punctuation. It’s a bit annoying to read the mish mash you post.
Likewise, you didn’t read what I wrote. You think a parent should keep their kids under foot at all times because for sure they’ll run around “helter skelter” and so on. I asked you the proper age at which you, the parent police, would think it appropriate to allow a kid to be 10 ft away from you, or 20 ft, or to walk around the corner to get something for you. I’ll give you the answer. There is no magic age. And what is the meaning of unattended, in your book ? Behind my back 5 ft away ? Within hearing ? Out of arm’s reach ? You see how ridiculous that is ? If you think “unattended” means no time spent out of immediate upfront eyesight, then no parent should take their young kids out in public places, ever.
My 5 yo was perfectly capable of going to the next aisle to pick up a bag of the dog’s favorite treats all by herself without tearing up the place running around, or anything else destructive or annoying, yet inappropriately judgmental people like you think a child should be “cherished” by denying them some small independences at a young age.
And, mine was certainly not abnormal at her age. I had expectations of her performance, and she understood consequences. It’s very simple. You can’t control the public but you can exercise some discretion.
Overprotecting a kid and allowing undisciplined behavior are equally wrong in my book.
Wow. Who would have guessed he had a KAJILLION DOLLARS to make bail?
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