Robert DeWeese, 37, allegedly entered the store's bathroom after he eavesdropped on the victim and her mother
Credit: Warren County Jail
NEED TO KNOW
- A man faces felony rape and kidnapping charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl in a Five Below bathroom in Ohio on Feb. 6
- Robert DeWeese reportedly overheard the girl’s mom teach her a safety knock that he later mimicked to gain entry into the restroom
- The 37-year-old man had been out of prison for three days at the time of the alleged incident
An Ohio man is facing charges of felony rape, kidnapping and more after he allegedly sexually assaulted a young girl in the bathroom of a Five Below store.
The alleged incident between Robert DeWeese and the minor took place in the bathroom of a store in South Lebanon on Feb. 6, according to court records. The establishment was a Five Below, according to reports from NBC affiliate WLWT and FOX 19.
DeWeese, 37, got into the bathroom by imitating a unique knock that the 6-year-old girl’s mother told her to listen for while she went to purchase new pants for the child, who had an accident, WLWT reported, citing Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.
“She told the daughter that she was going to go get those pants and leave the door locked until she heard the special knock, and she described to the girl what the special knock was going to be,” the prosecutor said, according to the outlet.
Fornshell declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE on Saturday, March 7.
After eavesdropping on the mom’s instructions, Deweese allegedly used the knock to access the store bathroom and then sexually assaulted the victim, WLWT reported.
The girl yelled stop, which startled the alleged assaulter and made him flee, according to the outlet.
The victim’s mother was around 30 to 40 feet away at the time of the alleged assault, FOX 19 reported, citing prosecutors. She called 911 after the incident.
In the call audio, obtained by WLWT, the mom alleged to dispatchers, “My daughter was in the bathroom. She had an accident. I went to see if I could go find her alternate clothing while she was in the bathroom. She says a gentleman knocked on the door and came in and touched her while she was in there, and she yelled help. She yelled for him to stop."
Credit: Getty
Though DeWeese fled the scene, he was later found at a relative’s home, according to WLWT and FOX 19. He had recently been released from prison and had only been out for three days at the time of the alleged assault, according to Fornshell.
DeWeese has a history of sex crimes across multiple counties. He recently completed a three-year sentence for a parole violation tied to a child sex crime, WLWT reported.
"The guy serially engages in sexual-oriented offenses and assaults and had only been out three days when he assaulted this 6-year-old girl,” Fornshell said, per WLWT.
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DeWeese was indicted on a first-degree felony rape charge, as well as felony charges of gross sexual imposition, kidnapping and abduction, according to jail and prosecutor records viewed by PEOPLE.
He is currently being held in Warren County Jail, where his bond has been set at $1 million, according to a Facebook post from Fornshell.
It is not immediately clear if DeWeese has legal representation to comment on his behalf.
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