MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami-Dade man was arrested Saturday after deputies say he kissed his neighbor’s 7-month-old baby on the lips — a child he didn’t know — and then threatened the baby’s mother with a boxcutter.
The suspect, who was identified as 30-year-old Wilmer Ariel Lemus Morales, was taken into custody by deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office near the county’s Allapattah neighborhood, where he lives, authorities said.
According to an arrest report, the incident happened outside a home near the 3000 block of Northwest 35th Street while the baby’s mother was visiting a friend.
The woman told deputies she was on the front porch with her infant, who was sitting in a stroller, when Lemus Morales, a neighbor she recognized but did not have a relationship with, approached the child, the report stated.
She said Lemus Morales suddenly kissed the baby on the lips, describing the act as “disgusting,” according to authorities.
When she confronted Morales, deputies said he allegedly pulled a boxcutter from his pocket, pointed it at her, and threatened to harm her.
Fearing for her life and her child’s, the woman said she backed away while her friend, who was nearby, began recording the incident on her cellphone, authorities said.
Deputies responded to the scene, located Lemus Morales nearby shortly afterward, and took him into custody, according to the report.
Jail records show he is facing one count each of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
As of Monday, Lemus Morales is being held without bond on an immigration hold at the Metrowest Detention Center.
