PALM BAY, Fla. – A Brevard County man was arrested Tuesday after a 14-year-old girl says he touched her as she was walking home from school.
The teen was walking home from Southwest Middle School in Palm Bay when Emmanuel Colon-Gago, 27, approached her, grabbed her buttocks, smiled at her and then walked away, according to arrest documents.
"Something like that should not happen in the neighborhood and I'm glad they arrested the guy. There are more of them out there that they need to go after," said Elsie Augustine.
According to arrest documents, the girl started yelling at Colon-Gago after he touched her and he replied simply with a smile before walking away like nothing happened.
But he didn't get far.
The victim's fellow classmates saw what happened, confronted the 27-year-old and alerted the school resource officer in time to make an arrest.
"I feel for the girl and that is why I'm happy that they arrested the guy," said Augustine. "He needs to be where he belongs."
Local 6 didn't find a prior criminal history for Colon-Gago but did find out he works for a Goodwill in Brevard County.
The Palm Bay man is charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and is currently being held at the Brevard County Jail on a $15,000 bond.