WASHINGTON TERRACE, Utah — A man has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 9-year-old last week at a park in Weber County.
A probable cause statement states that 20-year-old Royer Temaj-Perez was seen on an outdoor surveillance camera pulling the girl into the bathroom at the Washington Terrace park. This happened on Friday, and he was arrested on Saturday.
According to police, the video shows that Temaj-Perez “grabs the victim and blocks her from moving away, and then directs her into the bathroom. A short time later, the victim exits the bathroom. The suspect is clearly visible on multiple camera angles.”
Police confirmed that the child was taken to Primary Children’s Hospital, where a sexual assault examination and evidence collection occurred on that same day.
The next day, the victim met with the Weber/Morgan Children's Justice Center and gave a physical description of the suspect. The man seen on multiple camera angles from the park matched her description.
Police were able to quickly identify and arrest Temaj-Perez because an officer recognized him from the surveillance images — he reportedly had been previously arrested and investigated for the a similar crime.
“[Police] investigated and arrested Royer for another sexual offense against a child that was a stranger at a playground near his neighborhood in 2019," court documents said. "Royer has demonstrated a pattern of targeting children in public areas.”
He also has a history of being charged with sexual crimes against children when he was a minor.
When police served a search warrant at his home on Saturday, they say he admitted to sexually assaulting the girl. His home is reportedly next to the park.
Temaj-Perez is also not supposed to be in Utah or the United States in the first place. He is a resident of Guatemala and told police during his interview that “he returned to the United States illegally from Guatemala approximately two months ago.”
FOX 13 News reached out to the Weber County Sheriff’s Office to ask whether they fear there could be more victims but has not heard back yet.
