Levelland Man Abducts 9-Year-Old Girl, Gets 30+ Years in Prison

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On Thursday, June 10th, 2021, a man from Levelland was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison after he admitted to kidnapping a 9-year-old girl.

Back in August 2020, it's said that a woman began choking at a birthday party. While most people tried to help her, 27-year-old Damien Dre Gonzales lured a 9-year-old girl away by asking her to help him carry something to his vehicle. He was able to get her inside the vehicle and drove away.

Police were soon notified that the girl was missing, and just a bit later received a report of a vehicle parked in the middle of the street several miles from where the party was. Gonzales had apparently hit a mailbox and stopped in the road.

According to a new release from the United States Department of Justice, officers arrived and found the girl and Gonzales inside the car. They reportedly noticed that Gonzales' jeans were unzipped and his belt was unbuckled. He also had an open box of condoms in the passenger seat. Reports say that at some point, Gonzales had removed the girl's clothes and touched her inappropriately.

The girl was reunited with her her parents and provided psychological support.

KAMC News reports that back in February 2021, Gonzales admitted that he abducted the girl with the intent to engage in illicit sexual intercourse.