Man wanted for recent child groping in Woodland Heights has lengthy history of similar crimes

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As police work to track down the man who groped a 7-year-old girl in The Heights last month, parents say they're shocked to learn he's been in trouble for this before.

After a two-week race to identify the suspect from surveillance video, police identified him as Carlos Jose Ayala Morales.

The girl was walking home from Travis Elementary on Jan. 27 when police say Morales came up behind her and grabbed her.

He'd been released from prison only 11 months before the incident after his conviction for similar crimes.

"I think that we are devastated that he ever was released, honestly," Heights parent Jessica Donahue said.

Between 2014 and 2017, Morales was linked to 10 different child groping cases on Houston's east side and charged with four counts of indecency with a child.

"He just approached me, like he grabbed me and he like touched me," an eighth-grade McReynolds Middle School student told Eyewitness News in 2017.

RELATED: Police searching for man who allegedly groped a 7-year-old girl on her walk home from school

Under Texas law, Morales could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for the crimes. However, under the terms of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to 7 years.

"I think that's definitely not long enough for that many repeat offenses," the latest victim's mother told Eyewitness News.

"He was caught, he was convicted, he was put in prison for not enough time and then released," said Heights parent Stella Hart.

Eyewitness News searched the Texas Sex Offender Registry. Ayala Morales doesn't appear, nor do other variations of his name. Eyewitness News also poured through a list of the more than 10,000 Harris County names on the registry and still couldn't find him. The only Harris County offender with his date of birth bears a completely different name.

"The fact that he's been previously convicted and sent to prison, but yet was still not on the registry, is just unfathomable to me," parent Holly Roemisch said.

"Somewhere along the line, a ball got dropped," she added.

Some fear it could have delayed the search for Morales. Before anyone knew his name, parents say they were comparing surveillance images to photos on the sex offender registry. They never got a match.

"He could have been identified on day one. He wouldn't have had the opportunity to run," Hart said.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Morales' arrest. You can call 713-222-TIPS.

For news updates, follow Luke Jones on Facebook, X and Instagram.