Levelland Man Admits to Kidnapping 9-Year-Old for Sex

A man from Levelland has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 9-year-old girl from a birthday party to sexually assault her.

KAMC News reports that in August 2020, the girl and her father had attended a birthday party. At some point, a woman began choking on something, and while everyone was pre-occupied trying to help the woman, 27-year-old Damien Dre Gonzales (pictured above) is said to have taken the girl in his car.

Reports say that Gonzales drove the girl several miles away from the location and stopped the car after he hit a mailbox. Gonzales later admitted that while the car was stopped, he removed the girl's clothes.

Someone noticed the vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway in the 1300 block of Ellis Road in Hockley County and called police to complain. Officers arrived and found Gonzales in the car with the girl. It's said the girl was able to get most of her clothes back on as officers approached.

Gonzales also admitted to threatening violence against the officers as he was being arrested.

In a separate case, Gonzales was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child in Lubbock.

If a judge accepts Gonzales' plea deal, he will be sentenced to no less than 20 years in federal prison.