AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Police Department has arrested a man accused of inappropriately touching a young girl at a local Walmart.
Police said the indecent contact incident happened on the afternoon of May 15 at the Southpark Meadows Walmart located at the service road of 9300 S. I-35 between 6:40 and 7 p.m.
The man reportedly appeared to have been walking around the store for some time before he approached a 6-year-old and forcibly touched the child in a sexual manner in a store aisle before fleeing the area.
The suspect was eventually identified as Seth Davidson Hilliker, 49. He was arrested on June 3 by members of the APD’s Child Abuse Unit and the department’s Tac-Intel Unit.
"APD would like to remind the community that sexual abuse cases involving a stranger attack are uncommon and those that involve a child being targeted are extremely rare," the department said in a press release. "We understand the many concerns the community had in regards to this case and APD shares those concerns. Thankfully, with the help of the community and members of the department, we were able to make this arrest."
If you or anyone you know has been impacted by sexual violence, you can get support from APD Victim Services by calling 512-974-5037.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the APD Child Abuse tip line at 512-974-6880, Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or use the new Crime Stoppers App. You can also submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.
According to Texas DPS records, Hilliker was also charged in an indecency with a child incident in 2008 involving a 4-year-old girl. He was eventually discharged from parole with mandatory supervision.
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