The Fresno County Sheriff’s Department has released new details and new pictures in the case of a man accused of kidnapping and raping a ten-year old girl.
Detectives recovered the victim’s bike at Highway 145 and Belmont, near Kerman, but they’re still looking for a backpack, similar to the one pictured, but purple in color. They are also looking for a red, white and blue colored blanket that was in suspect Kalvin Cardenas’ truck at the time of the attack.
In the wake of the terrible crime, safety is top of mind for local parents. Families who live near the home where the 23-year-old suspect was arrested Wednesday morning, say the atrocious crimes he's accused of committing, have them worried about their own children.
Melony Nelson, a mother of three, saw the aftermath of the SWAT standoff while walking her kids to school.
“We talked about it while we were walking the other way. [I] just said if there's somebody you think is kind of scary, you need to run away and find a mom with kids,” said Nelson.
Eugene Junette tries to turn a subject that can be frightening into something fun. For 34 years, he's been going into schools with coloring books. They have important messages like "don't accept money or candy from strangers." Sadly, the unthinkable can still happen. Russell Thornton created Amber Alert GPS for parents’ peace of mind.
“Our goal is to protect children, from predators, from being lost,” said Russell Thornton, creator of Amber Alert GPS.
Children wear a small GPS device, and their every move can be tracked by smart phone or computer. Nelson says she'd consider anything to keep her children safe.
“I think that anything that helps to keep an eye on your kid is not overboard because I'm very vigilant about where my kids are at all times,” said Nelson.
According to FBI crime statistics, the kidnapping Tuesday was a rare variety. The vast majority of times, abductors are not strangers. Typically, they know their victims, which is also something parents need to talk to their kids about.
