Chester County man arrested for allegedly assaulting child in Walmart
Joseph Gerard Bouffard, a 26-year-old Glenmoore resident, was charged this week with a felony for sexual contact with a minor, along with three lesser charges.
A Chester County man has been charged with unlawful contact with a child at a Walmart store in West Sadsbury Township, police said this week.
Joseph Gerard Bouffard, a 26-year-old Glenmoore resident, was charged this week with a felony for sexual contact with a minor, along with three lesser charges. The incident occurred in January, police said.
A Pennsylvania State Police trooper wrote in a complaint that around 11 a.m. on Jan. 24, a mother called to report that a stranger had inappropriately touched her 11-year-old daughter in the Walmart.
An attorney representing Bouffard did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The child told police that the man had touched her while she was in the beverage aisle of the store, grabbing a drink her mother had asked her to get. The child said that she had noticed Bouffard earlier when he smiled at her in another aisle. After he touched her, she immediately ran to her mother. Bouffard left immediately after, police said.
Security footage showed that Bouffard allegedly passed the victim several times in the store, looking at her repeatedly and walking close to her, police wrote in the complaint. The footage also showed Bouffard touching the child, police said.
Bouffard had left the store before police arrived, and officers identified him using law enforcement resources and surveillance. Last week, police interviewed Bouffard, who matched the description the girl gave as well as the security footage. When asked by police if he intentionally touched the girl, Bouffard “nodded in the affirmative and agreed,” according to the affidavit.
Bouffard was arraigned on Wednesday, and was released on $25,000 unsecured bail ahead of a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 16.