A 65-year-old man is being held without bond after a 4-year-old girl told investigators he reached under her dress and touched her private area with his fingers on two separate occasions inside a Hialeah Lowe’s. Jose Cremades was taken into custody Monday in connection with the Sept. 12 incident at the home improvement store on West 37th Street.
According to WSVN, the girl and her mother had attended a Lowe’s kids workshop earlier that day when the child wandered toward a nearby clothing display and disappeared from her mother’s view. Police said the girl then reported that Cremades had touched her inappropriately inside the store.
What the Mother Saw
The mother told investigators she saw the girl run out from behind the display, and moments later saw an older man emerge from the same spot and walk away, according to the outlet’s report. The girl told her mother that the man had touched her private area.
Police said surveillance video showed Cremades and the child obscured behind a merchandise display for about a minute. Investigators said the footage also showed Cremades crouched near merchandise while looking toward two juvenile girls, and separately showed him walking behind two other juvenile girls elsewhere in the store, per the same report.
Forensic Interview and Charges
A forensic interview took place at Kristi House three days after the incident, during which the girl told investigators that Cremades had reached under her dress and touched her private area with his fingers on two separate occasions, according to the arrest report cited by the station. Cremades now faces a charge of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12.
A judge found probable cause in the case and ordered Cremades held without bond. During questioning, Cremades invoked his right to remain silent and requested an attorney, the outlet reported.
Case Records Not Yet Public
The Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller maintains a Criminal Justice Online Case Search that allows the public to look up felony and misdemeanor cases, and the Clerk’s office website lists its Criminal Justice Online Case Search and Images. No independently verified court docket or case number for Cremades was available at the time of this report.
