COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – The father of a teenage girl who was approached by a stranger at a bus stop is warning parents that their children's safety could be at risk.
"He said, 'I didn't touch her. I didn't touch her.' That's when I knew he did something," Travis Parker told Local 10 News as he described his run-in with the man he claims tried to kiss his 15-year-old daughter.
It happened at a bus stop on Lyons Road near Copans Road about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The teen was waiting for her dad to bring her coffee before the school bus arrived.
"When I pulled up she was in tears and I seen the guy in the bicycle trying to pull off, so I said, 'What happen, baby? What happen?" Parker said. "She said, 'That guy, he was touching on me. He was touching on me, rubbing my thighs and trying to kiss me.'"
The man has been identified by Coconut Creek police as Anthony Williams, 28. Parker called 911 and said he kept Williams at the scene until officers arrived.
But to his surprise, the cops just asked Williams a few questions and let him go.
"They told me he was kind of incompetent," Parker said.
"Is that an excuse?" asked Local 10 News reporter Roger Lohse.
"That wasn't an excuse. That's no excuse for you to touch my daughter," said Parker.
Police said the incident is under investigation and wouldn't comment on why Williams wasn't arrested. But Local 10 has learned that he's been to jail before. His criminal history includes arrests on charges of loitering, prowling and assault on a pregnant woman.
Parker said he's worried for the safety of his daughter and all the other kids in the area who walk or wait for the bus to take them to school.
"He just don't need to be out here. He needs some help," Parker said. "If he's incompetent, if he's in need of mental health, I'm not saying jail is good, but he needs some help."
Police did file a report and officers are sending it to the state attorney's office to let prosecutors decide if any charges should be filed against Williams.
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