DETROIT – The man arrested in the abduction and sexual assault of a young girl appeared before a judge Friday, a day after he was taken into police custody.
Read: Arrest made in abduction, sex assault of 9-year-old girl in Detroit
Police said the man kidnapped a 9-year-old girl Sunday afternoon near the intersection of Eight Mile Road and Grand River Avenue, and then sexually assaulted her at a home on Detroit’s west side. She escaped later that day.
“We are here today because of the courage and tenacity of a little girl. She’s only 9 years old. She’s not even five feet tall and doesn’t weight 100 pounds,” said Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald. “Despite what she endured, she stayed calm. She escaped and saved her own life and probably the lives of other children.”
Aaron Deneal McDonald, a resident of Oak Park, was charged Friday with one count of kidnapping, three counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one county of strangulation and one count of torture. He would receive a life sentence if convicted.
McDonald sat stoically for the arraignment and single question the judge asked him. His lawyer attempted to have him released on bond with an ankle monitor, stating McDonald has a child on the way.
Bond was denied.
Authorities said more than 20 search warrants were executed in connection with the case and that significant evidence of crimes were found in different locations.
“There is no way to wrap our minds around this horrific crime,” said Farmington Hills police chief Jeff King. “Our thoughts and our prayers remain with the victim and her family, but in the wake of this suspect’s brutal abduction and sexual assault on a child, the Farmington Hills and Detroit communities and their citizens deserve this exceptional police response and investigation.”
Aaron McDonald had a previous conviction where he spent 13 years in prison for sexual violence against a minor. He was recently released on parole. He is being held without bond.
Previously:Suspect arrested in abduction, sexual assault of 9-year-old girl in Detroit