TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man was arrested after being accused of unwanted touching of an 11-year-old girl with a wooden object.
Alex Tran, 36, was taken into custody by the Leon County Sheriff's Office on May 11.
On May 5, deputies responded to a business on Mahan Drive in regards to an indecency call.
When deputies arrived, they made contact with the victim and her mother.
While talking with deputies, the victim's mother said on May 5 she brought the victim and another relative to Nail Care to get their nails done.
She stated that while being serviced by Tran, he grabbed a wooden object and proceeded to move it back and forth in the victim's armpit from behind the counter.
She told deputies that she asked Tran to stop, but he continued, saying "I will do it again."
The victim's mother informed deputies that she had seen the wooden object before due to Tran showing it in front of customers in the past.
The police report states, she advised Tran she was going to contact law enforcement and he became irate.
According to the police report, at this time both the victim's mother and Tran were standing close to one another when he swatted at her face, grazing her in the process.
Multiple witnesses say they did see Tran swat his hand in her face, but did not see Tran actually hit the victim's mother.
When she told Tran she called law enforcement, he grabbed the wooden object and went to the back of the salon.
Deputies then made contact with Tran. While talking with deputies, he denied making contact with the victim and hitting her mother.
Tran stated he communicated with the victim's mother regarding the wooden object because she has seen it before.
Tran advised deputies he never touched the victim and said the victim's mother was sitting across from the victim, while he showed her [victim's mother] the wooden object.
Tran repeated to deputies he never made contact with the victim.
On May 10, deputies made contact with Tran again. Deputies asked him if he was willing to allow them to retrieve the video surveillance of the incident.
Tran agreed and handed the video over to deputies.
Deputies watched the video the next day, which showed Tran touching the relative on her shoulder with the wooden object as well as the victim on the side of her face.
Several witnesses gave statements to deputies consistent with the victim's mother allegation that Tran placed the wooden object between the arm and body of the victim, moving it in a back and forth motion.
Based on the evidence, Tran is being charged with battery, for unwanted touching.
He has since bonded out.
