A Somerville man is scheduled for a dangerousness hearing Friday after an incident in the women’s restroom of the Museum of Science, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Yandri Hernandez, 24, is charged in an incident involving a 15-year-old girl, the office of district attorney Kevin Hayden said in .
Massachusetts State Police arrived at the Museum of Science, in Boston on the Cambridge border, at 12:41 p.m. Sunday in response to the teenager’s report: As she washed her hands in the first-floor women’s restroom and her friend waited outside, Hernandez is alleged to have come up behind her and put his hand over her mouth. He “did not speak, but tried to restrain her” before she was able to scream and run out of the restroom. He left after her and fled the building, according to reports.
A witness was present in the restroom during the assault, and noticed Hernandez’ black and white shoes, which were “abnormal in size for a female.” The witness heard the struggle from within the stall, but the victim and Hernandez had left the restroom by the time she came out, according to the press release.
Surveillance video seems to indicate that Hernandez may have been in the restroom for 30 minutes before the incident. Someone whose appearance matched the description of Hernandez arrived at the museum shortly before 11, sat in the lobby for about an hour, and remained in the restroom until he fled after the incident, according to the press release.
On Monday, after images of the suspect were distributed to local police departments, Cambridge police told state police they recognized Hernandez from a tattoo. Hernandez was identified as unhoused by Cambridge police in an April 8 log entry after an arrest on one count of receiving stolen property.
State Police arrested Hernandez in Somerville without incident on Tuesday, and he was arraigned in the Charlestown Division of the Boston Municipal Court on Wednesday. The charges are kidnapping of a child; strangulation or suffocation; and assault and battery, the DA said.
Hernandez has remained in custody awaiting the dangerousness hearing, with prosecutors arguing that should Hernandez be released, he should be monitored via GPS. (Update on Oct. 11, 2024: Hernandez was committed without bail to Suffolk County Jail.)
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If we are spending over a billion dollars per year for housing immigrants, how could Yandri be homeless?