Two Abilene Teenage Girls Sexually Assaulted by Registered Sex Offender

Two 13-year-old girls are home safe with their families in Abilene after a tragic kidnapping and sexual assault by a registered sex offender, Robert Harris, 49, living in the Fort Worth area.

According to an Abilene Police Department press release, on Jan. 2 and 3, the Abilene Police Department received two independent runaway reports regarding the two 13-year-old females. The mother of one of the teenagers filed the report, and stated both runaways left notes for their parents.

At the time, the cases were assigned to a youth division investigator who began following up on potential leads. In the early phases of the investigation, APD detectives, assisted by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, conducted interviews with friends and schoolmates of the runaways in Abilene and in Taylor County. Other leads regarding a possible sighting in Snyder, Texas, were also investigated by police.

On Jan. 6, APD officials stated they received information from one of the mothers regarding a potential address in Ft. Worth where the children may have been. APD sent a teletype to Ft. Worth PD requesting an address be checked. FWPD responded and contacted Harris, but the runaway teens were not located at the residence at the time.

On Jan. 9, a second check of the residence in Ft. Worth was conducted by Ft. Worth PD, and both teens were located and taken into protective custody.

The mother of one of the teenage girls told a local news station that her daughter met Harris on Skout, a social media website, about two to three months ago. Apparently, Harris gave them tips on how to run away from home, picked them up in Abilene and drove them to Fort Worth.

Harris is currently being held in Mansfield Jail with bonds totaling $200,000. Fort Worth PD has charged him with two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and two counts of Aggravated Kidnapping.

The Abilene Police Department is also conducting an Online Solicitation of a Minor investigation and will file appropriate charges after ensuring proper coordination with Ft. Worth PD.

On his profile with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Harris became a registered sex offender in 2008. He was charged in 2006 with two counts of indecent assault while serving in the military. The victims in that case were both women, ages 32 and 29.