Convicted sex offender accused of assaulting 2 teens at Galleria
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A convicted sex offender is accused of inappropriately touching two underage teens inside of the Galleria Mall.
King Jeron Williams Coleman, 35, is now charged with another sex crime on two counts of indecency with a child, sexual contact.
On Friday, two teens were leaving the restroom by the food court in the Galleria, when Coleman walked up to them and asked them a question and assaulted them, according to court records. Coleman then took off from the scene, but was arrested by police after a brief chase.
"I have honestly never heard of a case where someone did this out in the open as this person did," said Randy Burton, founder of Justice for Children.
Burton is a former prosecutor and the founder of a child advocacy group, Justice for Children. He says what's especially disturbing is the fact that Coleman already has a previous conviction of sexual assault of a child out of Louisiana.
"He's got a track record as far as these cases go, but we know that these are typically the tip of the iceberg and that's what, as a child advocate, is most disturbing and scary," said Burton.
On top of that, when Coleman allegedly committed the most recent crime, he was already out on bond for another crime - an assault of a family member charge. In fact, court records show he has 11 convictions of criminal cases just in Harris County. The convictions range from public lewdness to assault to failing to comply as a sex offender.
Despite all of that, he's bonded out again for the most recent charge.
"After he was arrested the last time, he should have never gotten out," said Burton. "He was on bond, obviously, when he committed these new offenses. So that's what's so frustrating to me."
ABC13 reached out to Coleman, but he did not return our calls. We did speak with his attorney by phone, who said they plan to vigorously fight the charges.
Burton said a majority of the time offenders know their victims, and stranger danger cases aren't as common, still, it is a concern. He said it's important to have an open line of communication with your kids and always track who they're with, especially as they get out and about more this summer.
