By Josh Kleinbaum, The Los Angeles Times
BURBANK, Calif. - When Glendale Police Officer Joe Rodriguez arrested a 22-year-old man for suspicion of prowling outside a teenage girl’s window last week, Rodriguez quickly connected the dots, realizing that the suspect matched the description of a still-at-large child molester in Burbank.
Burbank Police finished the puzzle on Tuesday, arresting Jhonny Carias on suspicion of child molestation, first degree burglary and prowling after a 12-year-old girl identified him from the photo taken by Glendale police, officials from the police departments said.
Carias, a Sylmar resident, is being held on $1.15-million bail and will be arraigned in Burbank Court today, Burbank Police spokesman Sgt. Jay Jette said.
“This type of crime tends to have repetitive acts, and therefore we are searching for any additional victims as a precaution,” Jette said.
Burbank police believe Carias entered the home of the 12-year-old girl on Aug. 5 and molested her, Jette said. The girl made enough noise to draw the attention of her father, who was in the residence, and the father scared the intruder away, Jette said.
When Glendale Police arrested Carias on suspicion of prowling on Dec. 1, Rodriguez noticed similarities to the outstanding case in Burbank, and he noted it on his report, Glendale Det. Mike Stilton said. The victim in Burbank lived near the Glendale border, about 100 yards from the spot where Rodriguez arrested Carias.
Glendale Police passed Carias’ mug shot to their Burbank counterparts, who showed the photo to the victim Tuesday. After a positive identification, Burbank officers arrested Carias outside his office at 1100 N. San Fernando Road, Burbank.
“In the Burbank case, he had watched the victim before [the attack],” Stilton said. “In our case, we don’t know [if he was doing] that, but there was a teenage girl living in the apartment where he was outside the window, and there were plenty of other windows he could’ve went to.”