[A] contact made through the ubiquitous social media site Facebook, and ongoing online chats on Facebook Messenger and Snapchat, led to the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in Burlington, according to court papers.
Mohammed Hussein, 19, of Burlington pleaded not guilty to felony charges of aggravated sexual assault with a minor under 13, and unlawful restraint in the second degree in Vermont Superior Court on Monday.
The assault occurred on Friday, near TJ Maxx in the Shelburne Road Shopping Plaza.
According to court records, Hussein initially contacted the 12-year-old victim through Facebook. She told police she felt it was OK to add him as a “friend” because they had mutual friends, according to an affidavit written by Detective Elizabeth Felicciardi with the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations.
The girl said she had talked to Hussein on Facebook Messenger and Snapchat, and that Hussein always asked her to text on Snapchat because it deletes messages.
She said Hussein would “always ask me to go somewhere and I would normally say no.”
The victim said she texted Hussein on Friday, because she was “really bored,” Felicciardi wrote. They talked about going to Dunkin Donuts. Court papers say Hussein then drove to the street where the victim lived, telling her to walk over to him, because he didn’t want “a bunch of people to see.”
When the two drove past Dunkin Donuts on Shelburne Road shortly after, the victim asked Hussein to let her out of the car, court papers show. The girl said she attempted to exit the car at a red light, but the door was locked. As she then tried to pull the emergency brake, Hussein allegedly hit her on the shoulder.
Hussein drove behind TJ Maxx, court papers say. Once behind the store, he grabbed the girl’s arms and pushed her into the backseat of the car, according to the affidavit. The victim said she tried again to exit the vehicle, but the door was locked. Police say Hussein then sexually assaulted the 12-year-old, kicking and slapping her as she resisted.
The victim said she started to yell “really loud.” Hussein struck her on the head, and she began to cry loudly. He suddenly stopped, and she ran away from the car to TJ Maxx, where a man approached her, and later called the police, court papers show.
Later that day, Detective Cpl. Don Demar visited Hussein at his apartment to interview him. Hussein told police the victim told him she was 18.
Hussein told police that he had picked the girl up because she had wanted to go shopping at TJ Maxx. He said she initiated the sexual contact, despite him telling her that he has a girlfriend, according to the affidavit.
“Hussein maintained that everything between them was consensual,” adding that the girl might be upset because she didn’t get “what she wanted,” Demar wrote in his report.
Hussein is being held pending a bail hearing on Friday, and is prohibited from contacting the victim. If convicted, he could face 10 years to life in prison and a potential fine of up to $50,000 for aggravated sexual assault, up to five years and a potential fine of up to $25,000 for unlawful restraint.
