Employee at Irving Store Sexually Assaulted 9-year-old Girl in a Back Room, Police Say

Irving police have arrested a 36-year-old man accused of raping a 9-year-old girl in the back room of a MetroPCS store.Gerardo Israel Strauss, 36, faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The Mesquite resident was booked at the Irving city jail, where his bail was set at $100,000.Police said the girl had been dropped off to play at the store in the 1400 block of East Grauwyler Road over the past year while her mother attended a fitness class next door. In April, the girl complained that a man in the store had inappropriately touched her. The girl described to a forensic interviewer how a male employee had taken her to a back room, where the man performed sex acts on her and had her perform sex acts on him.Strauss declined an interview with a reporter.Officers arrested him on Friday. Irving police said they continue to investigate.People concerned that their child may be a victim can call Irving police at 972-721-2535.  Continue reading...