Docs: Man groped 14-year-old girl while waiting in line at New Palestine gas station

NEW PALESTINE, Ind. - A man faces a felony sexual misconduct charge in Hancock County after police say he drunkenly groped a teenage girl while waiting in line at a gas station.




Kalebe Mmangyu, 23, of Greenfield, was arrested on June 28 and booked into the Hancock County Jail on a $50,000 surety bond. He was officially charged two days later with public intoxication and sexual misconduct with a minor - a level 5 felony.

A drunken arrest

Court documents detail how New Palestine police were called around 8:20 p.m. to a Speedway gas station on US 52 for a disturbance. The caller, who was hiding in a McDonald's bathroom across the street, said she had been battered and groped by an unknown man.




Police arrived on the scene and saw a man matching the suspect's description walking away from the gas station. The man reportedly put his hand in his pocket and made "furtive movements," causing the officer to draw his gun.




After shouting several times to get on the ground, the officer said he realized that the man "may not fully understand English." It was later determined that the man, identified as Mmangyu, primarily spoke Swahili.




The officer said he was eventually able to handcuff Mmangyu after "escorting him to the ground" and threatening to use his stun gun. Once in custody, the suspect said "no" when asked if he spoke English and provided a U.S. Employment Authorization card to identify himself.




Court docs say "Mmangyu's eyes were bloodshot and glossy" and "his balance and dexterity were poor."




Police said they found a small bottle of 99 Bananas alcohol in Mmangyu's pocket and that the suspect "appeared to be extremely confused," even falling asleep in the grass at one point. A preliminary breath test gave a .203 BAC result.

'Where's the Bananas?'

Meanwhile, other responding officers tracked down the juvenile victim and her friend, who witnessed the alleged battery. Both girls gave police similar accounts of what happened.




The victim said she was standing in line at the Speedway with her friend when a group of men walked in. The 14-year-old told officers a man who smelled like weed and alcohol asked the cashier, "Where's the Bananas?" The victim's description of the man matched Mmangyu.




The girl said that Mmangyu soon began standing very close behind her and grabbed her wrist. Security footage from inside the gas station later confirmed this, police said.




The victim reportedly asked Mmangyu to please not touch her and the suspect then walked away for some time. This did not last long, however, as security footage shows Mmangyu soon walking back up to the 14-year-old and forcefully grabbing her forearm.




Mmangyu then allegedly cupped his hand around the young girl's breast, causing the victim to flinch and step away. After this, the girl said Mmangyu grabbed her buttocks.




The victim said she began to panic and tried to leave the gas station, but that Mmangyu and his friends were blocking the exit. When she asked them to move, they reportedly refused. Eventually, the girl said she and her friend were able to run to a McDonald's across the street, lock themselves in a bathroom and call 911.

Further investigation, charges filed

Officers on scene were reportedly able to review security footage of the entire incident. Court documents filed on June 30 claim that the video completely corroborates the victim's account of the incident. Other witnesses also had similar descriptions of the alleged assault.




After reviewing the evidence, officers said "it became apparent" that all accounts of the event were consistent. Given this, Mmangyu was arrested and charged in Hancock Superior Court 1 with sexual misconduct with a minor and public intoxication.




Online court records show that no contact orders have since been issued that make it illegal for Mmangyu to contact the victim. A pretrial conference in his case is scheduled for 1 p.m. on July 30 in front of Judges Donald J. Davis and Cody B. Coombs.




Online jail records show that Mmangyu is being held in Hancock County Jail on a $50,000 surety bond. Records indicate that this is his first time being charged with a crime in Indiana.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/docs-man-groped-14-year-old-girl-while-waiting-in-line-at-new-palestine-gas-station/