Humble police are asking the public for help identifying a man accused of inappropriately touching a woman inside a Kroger store on FM 1960 Bypass Road West. The woman told officers the touching was non-consensual and that she was left shaken up by the encounter, according to Humble police.
Surveillance Photos Released in Case 26-004324
The Humble Police Department's CRIMEWATCH case page for case number 26-004324 includes surveillance images and requests public assistance to identify the male suspect, according to the Humble Police Department. Police records show the alleged indecent assault occurred on September 24 at the Townsen Kroger location at 9475 FM 1960 Bypass Road West in Humble, a stretch of the FM 1960 corridor that serves as a major retail hub in northern Harris County near George Bush Intercontinental Airport, per the same department bulletin.
As first reported by ABC13 Houston, Humble police are looking for a man accused of touching a woman inappropriately at the grocery store. Local media summaries of the police bulletin reported that the suspect is wanted for questioning regarding touching women's body parts without their consent inside the store, according to HTX Media's account of the bulletin. While initial victim accounts highlight a single woman's experience, the police bulletin details suggest authorities are investigating whether additional shoppers were targeted inside the store.
How to Reach Investigators
Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the man in the surveillance photos to contact Detective Gonzalez at 281-446-7127 extension 1209 or by email at [email protected], per the Humble Police Department bulletin. Any eventual charges or allegations remain unproven until tested in court, and police have described this stage of the investigation as an effort to identify and question the suspect rather than a confirmed arrest.
What Texas Law Says About Indecent Assault
Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.012, indecent assault covers nonconsensual, sexually motivated touching of specified body parts, touching another person with specified body parts, exposing or attempting to expose specified areas, and causing contact with specified bodily fluids, according to FindLaw. That classification carries penalties of up to one year in county jail and fines as high as $4,000. First-time convictions under the statute do not trigger mandatory sex-offender registration, though repeat convictions or acts committed by healthcare providers during treatment can elevate the charge to a state jail or third-degree felony, per the L&L Law Group.
The Texas Legislature created the standalone offense of indecent assault in 2019 through Senate Bill 194 to bridge a long-standing charging gap between minor Class C assault-by-contact offenses carrying fine-only penalties and felony sexual assault requiring penetration, the law group notes. Prosecutors previously lacked a middle-ground criminal charge for non-consensual sexual groping that did not involve penetration.
Texas Indecent-Assault Law
Hoodline has previously covered a similar North Harris County case in which a man was detained on Ella Boulevard following groping allegations.
