AUSTIN, Texas — A 19-year-old Round Rock man was arrested last weekend after police said he attempted to kidnap a 10-year-old girl in northwest Travis County in May, according to an affidavit obtained by KVUE.
The affidavit states that on the morning of Saturday, May 15, the Austin Police Department received a call from a man reporting the attempted abduction of his 10-year-old daughter. The incident occurred near a private community playground and swimming pool in the area of 12400 Waterton Parke Circle.
According to interviews with the child's parents and the victim herself, at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 14, the victim was riding her bike home in that area. She came across a man – later identified as 19-year-old Logan Patrick Montgomery of Round Rock – standing on the trail. He asked if she had seen his cat and she said that she had not before continuing to ride her bike. As the victim passed Montgomery, he began following her on foot.
When both reached the end of the trail, Montgomery asked the victim to help him look for his cat. She agreed, left her bike there and both walked back to a part of the trail in front of a dead-end street. During this time, Montgomery asked the victim her name, what grade she was in and if she had a cell phone.
Montgomery and the victim ended up near a tree line with a steep decline, a heavily wooded area completely obscured from the roadway and adjacent homes. After searching for a few seconds for the alleged lost cat, Montgomery distracted the victim by pointing to a nearby car. The victim turned her back on Montgomery and he then grabbed her by her waist with one hand while covering her mouth with the other, the affidavit states.
Montgomery picked the victim up and carried her backward toward the tree line. He held her about 15 feet until he lost his footing at the top of the steep decline and slipped down, causing him to lose his grasp on the victim. The victim told police she pulled his hand away from her mouth at about the same time he slipped down the hill.
The victim asked Montgomery why he had grabbed her and he said he thought he saw a cop. The victim stated that she thought that was strange because his actions would only make a cop suspicious. She then turned and walked away and, when she couldn't see Montgomery anymore, ran to her bike and rode home.
The victim initially only told her parents that she was helping a man look for a lost cat. The following day, she told them about the attempted abduction.
During the initial interview with the victim's parents a few days later, the investigating officer collected the shorts and T-shirt the victim was wearing during the attack and submitted them as evidence. In mid-June, DNA test results came back showing only the victim's DNA on her shirt, but partial DNA from someone besides the victim or her parents on her shorts. The DNA didn't meet requirements for entry into the Combined DNA Index System but was "eligible for a direct comparison if a specific suspect is identified," according to the affidavit.
Prior to receiving the DNA results, on May 20, the investigating officer had also submitted a geo-fence search warrant to Google. All but one device initially contained in the search warrant was eliminated as potential suspects. But one device remained in the mapped area for the duration of the requested timeframe. The device was identified as belonging to Montgomery.
The investigating officer found that Montgomery's driver's license photo matched the description the victim had given and that his vehicle was in the area of the incident at the time it occurred and matched the description of the car Montgomery pointed at to distract the victim. A further search warrant for Montgomery's Google account identified in the geo-fence warrant confirmed Montgomery's phone was in the neighborhood that day and in the immediate area where the attack occurred during the appropriate timeframe.
On Friday, July 2, police detained Montgomery to execute a DNA search warrant. Montgomery asked the investigating officer why his DNA was needed and the officer asked if Montgomery was willing to go back to their office to discuss the warrant. The officer stated that Montgomery was not under arrest and could leave at any time.
During an interview with the investigating officer, Montgomery initially denied any connection to the alleged kidnapping. However, after he was confronted with the cell phone data and asked about a DNA link to the victim's shorts, Montgomery confirmed the victim's account of the attack, according to the affidavit. Montgomery told police that he had no intention of killing the victim and that his intentions were sexual.
Montgomery was booked into the Travis County Correctional Complex just after midnight on July 3. He is charged with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and is being held on a $450,000 bond.
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